Langeais Castle

Loire is the longest river in France and is known for its vineyards and its wines. The town Langeais shares the same name as the Langeais Castle, which was built for an extremely short time. The Castle is a unique architectural monument, because there, are the ruins of the oldest defensive tower in France, which has remained for more than 10 centuries.

The history of the castle started around the 10th century. The area where the fort is marked was in constant strife by two columns, that of Anjou and those of Blois. Over the next four decades Langeais became in the possession of Anjou, and from there passes into the hands of the Counts of Blois. After 1044, however, the fortress fell into the hands of the English power in the face of the Plantagenets. Only in 1206 the castle was again under the French leadership after the victory of Philip II over the English army led by King John.

During the war, Langeais Castle for a period of time was the holding of gangs that were to be prosecuted. In 1422 Charles VII ascended the throne in the castle and was again the possession of legal authority. In those years all the military towers were completely destroyed, and the only remains intact was the Grand Tower.

Since 1460, Louis XI took care of much of the restoration of the palace. In 1491 the halls of Langeais host the wedding between Charles VIII and Anne Brittany, thanks to which Brittany was again returned to the French Empire by the British.

In the late 18th century, possession is purchased by a private individual. In 1886, Siegfried is the owner of the French palace and tackles another restoration of the palace. Siegfried devoted 20 years of his life to the palace. In 1904 he donated Langeais of the French Institute.

Today within the Langeais Castle you can see the old military tower on the territory, which exists in its authentic form and more than 944 pieces of furniture beyond the walls of Langeais is of typical medieval style original. There you can also see probably the most rich and beautiful collection of tapestries retained from the 14th and 15th century collection. Siegfried collected them between 1888 and 1900.

In one of the halls of Langeais Castle you can see the recreation of Charles VIII and Anne Brittany’s wedding which was done using wax.