I continue with my road warrior trip into known terrain and visiting new places and repeat memories of always, after all ,this is Seine et Marne dept 77 the first land touch in France to chase a wonderful girl named Martine, my dear late wife, Always uplifting to come here and this was no exception, I rode into the town of Blandy les Tours located in the Seine-et-Marne department 77 in the Île-de-France region of my belle France, Here is my take on the Château de Blandy les Tours !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The Château de Blandy-les-Tours is located in the town of Blandy-les-Tours, about 70 km from Paris, and about 6 km from the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte. This castle was built between the 13C and the second half of the 14C. From a simple fortified manor to the fortified castle of the Hundred Years War, from the residential castle to the Ferme des Tours, the Blandy-les-Tours castle has had a long history and has been the property of prestigious families. Fortified gate, curtain walls, five towers and a 35-meters dungeon, portcullis, rampart, walkway, stately home… the castle has retained all of its attributes as a medieval fortress. The most impressive are its walls and towers !! Acquired in 1992 by the departmental council of Seine-et-Marne, it was the subject of restoration campaigns and archaeological excavations until its reopening in 2007.
Because it is located on the border with the county of Champagne, the county of Melun was a strategic position of the first order, and it is for this reason that the king places representatives of his power there, named the “viscounts of Melun”. The viscounts Guillaume II and Adam III de Melun, direct descendants of Adam II de Melun, comrade in arms of Philippe Auguste in Bouvines, would be the builders of the castle from 1220. This first castle was reduced to a fortified manor and an irregular enclosure, flanked by several towers: the Carrée tower (gate tower) and two circular towers, the North tower, the Justice tower, and the main tower or first keep.
From 1370 the Blandy les Tours castle was greatly modified with new fortifications and defense structures: the moat was enlarged, a new gate tower with a drawbridge with an arrow was drilled into the surrounding wall, three large round towers were built such as the Guards tower, the new keep, the Archives tower, a walkway was built at the top of the curtain walls. The gallery leaned against the east wall. Arcades on the ground floor accommodated stables, shed and tennis court. The floor was occupied by a long gallery. Almost nothing remains of this 16C castle. A new main castle was built at the same time, in the form of two large pavilions. At the end of the 17C, a description of the castle indicates that a lack of maintenance led to its disrepair.
The 18C marks a major turning point in the history of Blandy les Tours crystallized around a character: Marshal Claude Louis Hector de Villars. The latter, raised to the rank of duke in 1705 and having to acquire land to legitimize access to his new rank, bought the county of Melun and the lordship of Blandy from the heir of the Duchess of Nemours. His new title was then attached to the lands of Vaux-le-Vicomte, whose castle he acquired the same year. From 1707, the Marshal transformed the Château de Blandy into a simple agricultural farm. The building was gradually abandoned and its severe deterioration led it to a state of advanced ruin. Nevertheless, this radical change of function made it possible to save the castle during the revolutionary period. Traces of medieval developments then disappeared, reducing the fortified castle to its sole defensive shell.
The purchase of the Blandy les Tours castle at the symbolic franc by the Departmental Council of Seine-et-Marne in 1992 allowed the implementation of a renovation project. Since its inauguration in 2007, many visitors climb the steps of the dungeon, walk the path of round the curtain walls, admire the countless hues of light that radiate off the ramparts. Since 2008, every Sunday afternoon from April to October (break in August), visitors can discover small forms of fairground theatre, music, choreographic and theatrical performances, circus, street arts and digital arts which take over the auditorium or the courtyard of the fortified Blandy les Tours castle. The programming of Les Dimanches de Blandy (Sundays of ) plays a dialogue between heritage and contemporary creation. It is placed under the sign of hospitality, inviting artists from the most diverse backgrounds
The Blandy les Tours castle is, today, a place of memory of Protestantism in France, When Princess Marie of Clèves married Henri I of Bourbon, second Prince of Condé, in August 1572, Blandy brought together the cream of the crop of the Huguenot aristocracy, including the young Prince Henri of Navarre, the future Henri IV, or even Admiral de Coligny.
The official Château de Blandy les Tours :https://www.chateau-blandy.fr/fr/lhistoire-du-chateau
The town of Blandy les Tours on the castle: https://www.blandy-les-tours.fr/newpage2
The Seine et Marne dept 77 tourist office on Blandy les Tours :https://www.seineetmarnevivreengrand.fr/explorer/chateau-de-blandy-les-tours-676220/
There you go folks, another dandy ride in my road warrior mode,again, It was my first visit, even I cannot believe it passing by it so many times ! Anyway, it was a great first time andn worth the detour for all wonderful in Blandy les Tours in my dear Seine et Marne, This is the Château de Blandy les Tours, Again ,hope you enjoy the post as I
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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