I am on my road warrior mode again, going to see my Bretagne old and new. This time went over into the old Brittany of the Loire Atlantique dept 44 in the new region of Pays de la Loire. I heard about this town and passed by it, never in, until now. Always amazing finds in my belle France. Let me tell you a bit about the curiosities of Châteaubriant !!
The town of Châteaubriant developed around its castle which was the scene of battles linked to the clash between Brittany and France. The town is about 55 km from Rennes, 70 km from Nantes, and 73 km from Angers
The town of Châteaubriant is served by several departmental roads the RD 163 which connects Rennes to Candé and by this last town, the RD 963 serves Angers; the RD 178 allows to reach Nantes to the south. This same road extends northeast towards Vitré; and the RD 771 which connects Laval to Nozay and the dual carriageway RN 137 linking Rennes to Nantes. Châteaubriant train station is located on the Nantes-Orléans line
The old town of Châteaubriant with its steep streets and its houses and old buildings, marked by local history, The heart of the medieval town is delimited by the old ramparts, which surrounded the town until 1860. The Maison d’ Ange, the Hôtel de la Houssaye, the Porte Neuve, the Sophie Trébuchet passage, the Four Banal tower… The Porte-Neuve, or Saint Nicolas dates from the 14C, rebuilt in the 16C, is the only one still standing, but portions of the walls and several towers are well preserved. It served as a prison until 1789 ,it took you to the place Saint Nicolas. The bridge was done in the 13-14C taken down in 1488 and then housing done in 1747 and 1751 as today.
As we were by the main church (see post) it was time to eat for lunch and by luck of my trade pick a dandy one next to the Porte Neuve, this is the La Croisette and had the fix menu plat + dessert and a bottle of Les Galuches of Chinon, nice all for less than 16 euros per person!!We will be back !
On October 22, 1941, at the Sablière quarry, 27 hostages from the Choisel camp were shot in reprisal for the execution, two days earlier, of a nazis officer by a young resistance fighter in Nantes. Here too is the Museum of the Resistance , near the Carrière des Fusillés.
The halle,or covered market built in 1900, a few meters from the location of the old wooden halle, regularly hosts exhibitions under its metal frame. The city/town hall was built around 1850. The building was originally intended to serve only as a market hall, in order to replace the wooden one. Finally, a prison, then a fire shed were installed and finally offices for the city hall. The ground floor was also converted into offices after another hall was built in 1900
The medieval and Renaissance castle of Châteaubriant, being in a strategic place, the city was subjected to battles and invasions, The 16C was marked by the actions of Jean de Laval, governor of Brittany from 1531 to 1542, who had the Renaissance wings of the castle built for his wife Françoise de Foix. Jean de Laval bequeaths his barony to Anne de Montmorency. The Renaissance barons successively welcomed Francis I, Henry II and Charles IX. During the 17C, the castle came under the control of the Bourbon-Condé family until the French revolution., Acquired by the General Council of Loire-Atlantique in 1853, the castle buildings then housed the sub-prefecture (until 2012), the Public Treasury and the magistrates’ court (until 2009). I had no time to see the castle which is in ruins but will be back, nice town.
The town of Châteaubriant takes its name from Brient, the lord who founded the castle in the 11C. Brient being the Breton brient which means high man , noble, In the 6C the region suffered the Breton invasion, then was integrated into the Breton kingdom. Feudal Brittany was divided into “tierns”, held by small lords. there is no written record of those from the Béré region, The Briant family, which founded Châteaubriant and then raised it to the rank of barony, died out in the 14C and was immediately replaced by the Dinan family, which succeeded the Laval family The history of Châteaubriant begins at the beginning of the 11C when Brient (ally of the Count of Rennes) builds a fortress on a mound at the confluence of the Chère and the Rollard, this was part of the Marches de Bretagne border responsible for defending Brittany facing the kingdom of France , During the French revolution, Châteaubriant became the capital of the district in 1790, and was the scene, especially from 1793, of violent clashes between Republicans and Royalists , It was at this time that Joseph Léopold Sigisbert Hugo met Sophie Trébuchet, exiled from Nantes, since the reign of terror, in the city with her aunt Françoise Trébuchet. They had one son: Victor Hugo ! Sophie Trébuchet’s house still exists, located near the Maison de l’Ange which housed the Tourist Office today.
The City of Châteaubriant and its heritage: https://www.mairie-chateaubriant.fr/listes/presentation-de-la-ville/
The local Châteaubriant Derval tourist office on Châteaubriant : http://www.tourisme-chateaubriant.fr/en/discover-the-region/historical-heritage/the-medieval-city-of-chateaubriant/
There you go folks, a dandy of a town, this one is to be back eventually worth it. We were on our road warrior mode so just saw couple monuments and went on to other towns, see posts. Hope you enjoy this post on the curiosities of Châteaubriant as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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