Chateau de Langeais in the Loire Valley

Looking up the street towards Chateau de Langeais

When you enter the town of Langeais you are immediately taken by its chateau's preposterous position slap bang in the middle of the town centre. It’s a powerful building (well actually two) with its drawbridge and its towers with their machicolations (sticky-out bits for dropping things on your invaders!).

Facade of Chateau de Langeais in the Loire Valley

Kids will love the working drawbridge at Chateau de Langeais, well the ones with imaginations, as it evokes images of knights and castles. The walk along the ramparts will also delight them. Plus they have a good garden and playground to run around in.

Drawbridge of the Chateau de Langeais in the Loire Valley

While the outside of the building is strong and fortress-like, the internal facade is more influenced by the Renaissance giving it more of an appearance of the traditional chateau.

Chateau de Langeais in the Loire Valley from its gardens

A great deal is made of the fact that the fortress was built in double quick time – between 1465 and 1469 – (hire these builders!) which, when you are face to face with it, is a remarkable achievement.

  

In 1491 Chateau de Langeais was chosen as the venue for the marriage of Charles VIII and the 14 year old Duchess Anne de Bretagne, which brought Brittany into the Kingdom of France and helps give the chateau its place on the tourist map of the region. This is reproduced with a display of wax figures and an informative film.

Waxwork models at Chateau de Langeais in the Loire Valley

The display has been described both as 'creepy / hilarious wax figures' and 'lavishly costumed and strikingly realistic characters'...you'll have to judge for yourself!

bedroom in Chateau de Langeais in the Loire Valley    dining room at Chateau de Langeais in the Loire Valley

salon at Chateau de Langeais in the Loire Valley    one of the bedrooms at Chateau de Langeais in the Loire Valley

The majority of restoration work to the chateau was undertaken by Jacques Siegfried who has added many fine examples of 15th century furniture and tapestries to help return the interior to something like its earlier splendour. He bequeathed it to the Institute of France in 1904 and they remain its current guardian.

Langeais viewed from the tower of the chateau

You have access to the projecting parapets of the main towers which offers great views over the town.

The formal gadens at Chateau de Langeais in the Loire Valley

Within the gardens you are also met by the second building of the site.

the keep at Chateau de Langeais in the Loire Valley

A keep dating back to 1000AD, built by Faulk (Foulques) Nerra, a former count of Anjou – which is unusual as although most of the chateaux of the region were built on former fortress sites, few have any remains of the original buildings – here is an exception which shows how building had progressed through the centuries. I know which one I’d chose to live in! Although they are only 200 mtrs apart they are separated by 5 centuries - what's that distance over time formula again?

entrance to the park at Chateau de Langeais in the Loire Valley

There are formal gardens between the chateau and the keep but if you continue past these further up the slope it is well worth the hike, especially with kids, as its here you will find the play area as well as a great  tree house curling itself around a large cedar tree. This part of the gardens makes a great place for a picnic.

treehouse in the park at Chateau de Langeais in the Loire Valley

You also get great views of our favourite bridge over the river Loire from the park

Bridge over the river Loire at Langeais

 

Rates:

Adult: € 9.80.
youth 18 to 25 years: € 7.80. 
Children 10 to 17 years: € 5.00. 
Children under 10 years free.

Opening times:

February-March: 9:30 am to 17:30. 
Between April to 12 November from 9:30 to 18:30. 
Jul-Aug: 9:00 to 19:00. 
November 13 to January 31 from 10:00 to 17:00.

External links:

www.chateau-de-langeais.com             Official website of Chateau

 

Blogroll:

https://loirevalleyexperiences.blogspot.revisiting-chateau-de-langeais.html

 
 

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"Author: Jim Craig"