Sarzeau – Suscinio Castle

Built: 13th century
Status: Public, museum
Visitable?: Yes (€10)
Notable: Dukes of Brittany castle
Web: Suscino Castle

If ever there was a castle that merits a detour to view, it’s this one. The Suscinio castle is a fortress, including a real moat, built for the Duke of Brittany in the 13th century.

 

The castle was built as a hunting lodge for the Duke who was a passionate hunter. The castle, including the now chapel in ruins, dovecot and several outside buildings is located next to a lake/swamp at a stone’s throw from the sea and its beaches. Spectacular surroundings!

The castle is big, maybe not as big as the Duke’s main castle (in Nantes), but big enough to get lost in. You can try it yourself since the castle opens for visits (including audio guide), allowing you to see most of the castle.

The castle had fallen into a bad state during the centuries until the French government took over. They have been repairing the castle, and made it into a museum that merits a visit, even if you are at quite a distance from it.

The buildings are enormous. The Duke loved his comfort. Even the English King Henry VII lived here, so quite comfortable. The castle was used often enough by the Duke and other nobilities.

When the French government took over, they started restoring the castle to its former glory. They are still at it, but work got slowed down when they discovered an archaeology treasure in the courtyard.

Bakeries, iron smith huts, and many other artisan huts working for the Duke in the courtyard.

Visiting the castle inside is a must. You get a real feel how big the insides are when you follow the itinerary. You can get lost, it’s that big. The rooms are all done up new, but in the old style. All work done was done using the old way of doing things, including old materials.

In one of the many rooms you can see how the work was done, with photos of the original tools and the tools used recently.

All rooms are well signposted, telling you what the rooms served for, and a bit of history. You get a real feel how they lived, and how business was conducted. It tells you the duties of the Duke, and where they were conducted.

Walking through the many rooms on the 5 different floors, you see many nooks and crannies. You can already imagine yourself sitting in one of the alcoves chatting up some servant girl…

But one of the most interesting discoveries in this particular castle was…

… and honest to God hammam built into the castle. The Duke of Brittany loved his steam rooms, so he had one built for his personal use. Next door they would light up a fire under large kettles, and then blow in the steam into the steam room. Only thing missing was a jacuzzi, but then they weren’t invented yet.

Although there was an independent chapel built outside the castle (which is non-existent today, it was totally destroyed during one of the many wars that raged the area), the Duke had his private chapel inside the main building in the castle.

At the top of the towers are the defensive positions, and archers holes, but also holes in the bottom where the defenders could pour hot liquids down on the enemy.

The courtyard is enormous. Part of it is today reserved for the archaeologists who are digging up sunken treasures. The rest is open, but there used to be buildings for the blacksmith, bakery, etc. From the photo above, although distorted since it’s a panoramic photo, you can see on the right the “business” building where the meetings and lunch/dinners where held and towards the left the house in which the Duke lived.

Summary

The fortress is in very good state after all the repairs. From the outside you can see that this is an impressive castle. When you go inside (which I strongly recommend), not only do you get to see the building structures, but also what rooms were used for what purposes. All the small rooms, corridors, servant stairways, toilets, etc.. it’s an eye opener.

Add to that the environment the castle is located in, with lakes, swamps and the sea, plus a wildlife sanctuary, then you have a winner.

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