The Duke's castle in Nantes

Nantes – The Castle

The castle in Nantes is the former quarters of the Duke of Brittany. The castle, more a fortress, is enormous and can be visited.

The Duke’s “hunting” lodge in Sarzeau, Brittany is nicer to visit (it’s called the Suscino Castle – click here to read our review ) but this one if not so shabby and definitely worth a visit. The good news is that castle walls and courtyard are free to visit, you only need to pay if you want to visit the insides and exhibitions.

The building of the castle started in the 13th century, however, the majority of the works were done in the 15th century and finished one century later.

Towers

There used to be 8 towers, but today there are “only” 6 left.

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The tower called the 'Tour du Port' of the Duke's castle in NantesThe tower called the ‘Tour du Port’ of the Duke’s castle in Nantes
The tower called 'Tour de la RiviereThe tower called ‘Tour de la Riviere” (river tower) of the Duke’s castle in Nantes
Side view of the entrance towers of the Duke's castle in NantesSide view of the entrance towers of the Duke’s castle in Nantes
Top part of the entrance towers of the Duke's castle in NantesTop part of the entrance towers of the Duke’s castle in Nantes
Entrance towers and drawbridge of the Duke's castle in NantesEntrance towers and drawbridge of the Duke’s castle in Nantes

Some of the towers are enormous, but don’t have stairs, since they are incorporated in the building and the floors from within the building extend into the tower.

Moat

There used to be a rather big moat, and in fact there still is one, but it’s rather small nowadays. The water comes directly from the Loire river.

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Moat snaking alongside the Duke's castle in NantesMoat snaking alongside the Duke’s castle in Nantes
A little bit of water left in the moat of the Duke' castle in NantesA little bit of water left in the moat of the Duke’ castle in Nantes

You can see from the two photos above that there used to be a lot more water in the moat.

The Courtyard

Once you pass through the main gates by crossing the drawbridge, you enter the courtyard (remember, access to the courtyard and the walls is free).

The courtyard of the Duke's castle in Nantes
The courtyard of the Duke’s castle in Nantes

Four buildings can be seen, one of them is by far the biggest (that’s where you’ll find the exhibitions). Here’s a closer look at the buildings from the courtyard:

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The Conciergerie which used to link up with the dungeons of the Duke's castle in Nantes The Conciergerie which used to link up with the dungeons of the Duke’s castle in Nantes
The 'Harnachement' (Harness) used for arms storage in the castle of NantesThe ‘Harnachement’ (Harness) used for arms storage in the castle of Nantes
The 'Grand Logis'  on the left where the Duke and family lived in the Nantes CastleThe ‘Grand Logis’ on the left where the Duke and family lived in the Nantes Castle
Left is the 'Grand Logis', the tower is called 'La tour de la Couronne d'Or' and the right portion is the 'Big Government'Left is the ‘Grand Logis’, the tower is called ‘La tour de la Couronne d’Or’ and the right portion is the ‘Big Government’
The 'Little Government' building inside the Nantes castleThe ‘Little Government’ building inside the Nantes castle
The water well in front of the 'Big Government' building in the Nantes castleThe water well in front of the ‘Big Government’ building in the Nantes castle

In the first photo (the Conciergerie) you can see the dungeon tower on the left. The 2nd photo of the ‘Harnachement’ (Harness) was built to store arms and ammunition. It was built after France came to aid of the Americans during their revolution, and the French were wary of an English reprisal attack. The 3rd and 4th photo show on the left of the building the private quarters of the Duke and his family, the ‘Couronne d’Or’ tower and the Big Government portion of the building.

The Walls

The walls of the Nantes castle can be visited for free. You can walk all around the castle, which at times include portions that are inside the castle (in order to get to the next wall).

The walk around the castle is worth a visit since they can be pretty spectacular. The views are very pretty, and you can see the Nantes cathedral, the LU Tower and much more.

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Part of the walls of the Nantes castlePart of the walls of the Nantes castle
The wall close to the LU tower at the Nantes castleThe wall close to the LU tower at the Nantes castle
View of the Nantes cathedral from the castleView of the Nantes cathedral from the castle
View of the Duke's quarters building from the walls of the Nantes CastleView of the Duke’s quarters building from the walls of the Nantes Castle
Going through the castle to join the other wallsGoing through the castle to join the other walls
The moat and the city view from the Nantes castle wallsThe moat and the city view from the Nantes castle walls
Sometimes the walls are very wide in the Nantes castleSometimes the walls are very wide in the Nantes castle
View of the Conciergerie from the Nantes castle wallsView of the Conciergerie from the Nantes castle walls
The tower at the end is the dungeons of the Nantes castleThe tower at the end is the dungeons of the Nantes castle
The dungeons of the Nantes castleThe dungeons of the Nantes castle

The Museum

The museum, located in the main building (Duke’s quarters and ‘Big Government’ building) and is definitely worth a visit.

The building

The first part of the museum to see is the actual building. You can see the rooms they lived in, even their toilets.

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Sitting area inside the Nantes castle museumSitting area inside the Nantes castle museum
One of the chambers inside the Nantes castle museumOne of the chambers inside the Nantes castle museum
A sword inside the Nantes castle museumA sword inside the Nantes castle museum
A movie explaining the life of the castle inside the Nantes castle museumA movie explaining the life of the castle inside the Nantes castle museum
Tapestry inside the Nantes castle museumTapestry inside the Nantes castle museum
Large hall and stairs inside the Nantes castle museumLarge hall and stairs inside the Nantes castle museum
A toilet inside the Nantes castle museumA toilet inside the Nantes castle museum

The Exhibitions

Throughout the museum you will see several exhibitions, mostly about the life in the castle in those days, but also modern times including several large portions dedicated to WWII.

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Life in Nantes exhibition, including  a replica of the LU Tower inside the Nantes castle museumLife in Nantes exhibition, including a replica of the LU Tower inside the Nantes castle museum
Items used during the centuries people lived in the Nantes castleItems used during the centuries people lived in the Nantes castle
Clothing used during the centuries by the people who lived in the Nantes castleClothing used during the centuries by the people who lived in the Nantes castle
WWI (and WWII) exhibitions in the Nantes castle museumWWI (and WWII) exhibitions in the Nantes castle museum
WWII exhibitions in the Nantes castle museumWWII exhibitions in the Nantes castle museum

The “In” place to stay

Since the Dukes of Brittany had an enormous political influence, many heads of state stayed in the castle, including the likes of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland, Catherine de Medicis, Louis XIII and his wife, Marie de’ Medici, the famous Cardinal Richelieu (from the 3 musketeers novel) , James II, King of England and many others.

Conclusion

The Nantes castle is worth a visit. Even if it’s just for the free parts (courtyard and walls), you can spend a few interesting hours.

Click here to access the castle’s website.

NOTE: You may have read or heard about the French Yellow Vest (Gilet Jaunes) protests in France…….:

French Gilets Jaunes (Yellow Vests) protests in the streets of Nantes
French Gilets Jaunes (Yellow Vests) protests in the streets of Nantes

…. well…… it’s nothing new. Here’s a painting you can find in the Nantes castle museum:

'Shame on those who do not revolt against the social injustice'
‘Shame on those who do not revolt against the social injustice’

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