When Henri II Plantagenêt married Aliénor d'Aquitaine in the 12th century, he decided to fortify the town of Niort and make it his capital to better protect the territory that Aliénor had brought to their marriage. He had a huge fortress built there. He died before the project was finished, and his son Richard Cœur-de-Lion finished the job. This is what remains of that château-fort. I took these photos when Walt and I spent a few hours walking around in Niort in 2018.
The French Wikipédia article this about what was called le château de Niort and now is usually referred to as the donjon de Niort: C'était une véritable cité englobant des habitations, des jardins et une place d'arme sur laquelle il y avait la collégiale Saint-Gaudens, qui a été détruite au cours des guerres de religion. Plus tard, le château servira de prison. The taller of the two towers is 95 feet (28 meters) tall. You can read more about it in French here, or in English here.
I see why it was a used later as a prison- there's almost no way out of there.
ReplyDeleteWhew, that is a massive structure.
ReplyDeleteIt certainly looks like a prison.
ReplyDeleteBettyAnn
It’s more a fort than a chateau. Many similar medieval structures, like the chateau de Tarascon in Provence, were turned into prisons.
ReplyDeleteHard to tell which tower is taller! Good photos.