The Château Anne de Bretagne of Saint Malo, part II !!!

Posted in Bretagne, Europe, France

We are in summer, and we have boundless beauties in my belle France and especially in my lovely Bretagne ! I set out again to known and new territories in my road warrior mode of always that took me to neighboring departments in the north of Brittany, I came back again to the beautiful wonderful stunning corsair City of Saint Malo !!. My idea was to see old and new so I came back to the castle, I have many posts on the City in my blog, but this one is a repeat visit, Therefore, let me tell you about the Château Anne de Bretagne of Saint Malo, part II !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

The Château de Saint-Malo, which now houses the city/town hall, was built by the Dukes of Bretagne ; integrating the northern part of the enclosure by the Porte Saint-Thomas, it separates the Porte Saint-Vincent-by an interruption, the latter corresponding to the old moat which isolated it from the rest of the city.

Saint Malo chateau Anne de Bretagne porte St Vincent aug24

The construction of the Ducal castle of Saint-Malo began in 1424 with the construction of the Grand Donjon of 35 meters high in the shape of a horseshoe. Crowned with jaw, the dungeon includes a covered gallery on the top floor, the roof of which is surmounted by two warts of watch towers adjoining each other. Then, Duke François II built the Tour Générale. Then it was his daughter the Duchess Anne de Bretagne who raised the Tour Quic-en-Groigne, completed in 1505. Four other towers finally completed the castle: the Tour des Dames, the Tour des Moulins, and the least imposing Petit Donjon and Tour carrée. The castle had to look like the wishes of the Duchess Anne to a coach, with four wheels (the towers connected by courtyards), a box (the Grand Donjon) and a drawbar (Pointe de la Galère) which extends the castle to the east.

Saint Malo chateau Anne de Bretagne Hôtel de Ville aug24

The current collections, valued at more than 8,500 pieces, focus more particularly on the history and maritime heritage of Saint-Malo and its surrounding country. The museum is still close pending est opening in 2028, Modified and completed by the construction of several other towers over the centuries ,such as the La Générale , Quic-En-Groigne, Moulins and Dames ,the castle then became a prison, garrison, and later museum. From the entrance,the large Porte de Saint-Vincent gate, you can see on the right side of the ramparts, several keeps and towers adorned with the coat of arms of Saint-Malo. From these turrets, the view is breathtaking: a 360° view of the city and the surroundings.

Saint Malo chateau anne de bretagne jardin des douves aug24

Today, the old barracks have been fitted out and house the services of the city/town hall of Saint-Malo, while the Générale tower and the Grand Donjon house the Museum of the History of the City and the Malouin Country, retracing 500 years of French naval exploits. The museum is house on three levels with the tour générale on three levels and the chapel of the castle of Saint Malo. Under renovation to open a new museum of mariners history is been build on the silos of the quai de Terre-Neuve,at the end of the bassin Duguay-Trouin on the buildings of the former École Nationale Supérieure Maritime. by 2028.

The Museum occupies the Grand Donjon on three levels, the Tour du Général  on three levels and the Chapel of the Château de Saint-Malo. Its collections retain more than 8 000 pieces concerning the history of the city of Saint-Malo, the local ethnography, the memories of the captains in the long course around Cap-Horn (in the Solidor Tower). The halls include paintings, models, objects by theme such as the Roman period to the voyage of Jacques Cartier; the peak of the port in the 17-18C; 19C personalities, such as Chateaubriand, Lammenais, Surcouf etc; fishing in Newfoundland; the way of life of the Malouins in the 17-18C; works by artists from the 19-20C. The Chapel contains, among others, liturgical objects and portraits of clerics. At the top of the Grand Donjon, in the watchtowers, the visitor can see a beautiful view panoramic of the  outskirts of the close town and the harbor.

An anécdote of sorts; the Duchess Anne is undoubtedly the most important historical figure in Brittany. On February 10, 1489, the twelve -year -old girl at the time was appointed Duchess of Brittany. Although she had been forced to deliver the duchy to France, she is still considered a Breton heroine, because she still negotiated countless privileges.

The city of Saint Malo on the museum opening est 2028 (not 2025) : https://www.st-malo.com/tourisme/art-culture/musee-histoire-de-la-ville/

The Saint Malo tourist office on the ramparts: https://www.saint-malo-tourisme.co.uk/our-8-preserved-treasures/saint-malo-le-bijou-corsaire/tour-the-ramparts-of-saint-malo/

The city of Saint Malo on tourism in general: https://www.saint-malo.fr/accueil/sortir/tourisme/

The Ille et Vilaine dept 35 tourist office on Saint malo: https://www.ille-et-vilaine-tourism.com/discover-ille-et-vilaine/the-loveliest-places/saint-malo/

There you go folks, all new for you and me in my blog, This is awesome and glad back again as is one of my favorite spots in the city , This is a place to stop by and know how all started in the corsair city ,A wonderful spot to see indeed, me think, Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Château Anne de Bretagne of Saint Malo, part II !!! as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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