I am bringing back many memorable moments in our life’s travels. The beauty of reliving these trip is worth it. I like to tell you more with new pictures in my blog on the well known monument of Guérande, The ramparts are fortifications that surround the medieval city of Guérande, in the Loire-Atlantique department 44 of the Pays de la Loire region of my belle France. Therefore, let me tell you about the ramparts of Guérande !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I,
The medieval city of Guérande is one of the few to have preserved its ramparts in their entirety. It is also one of the best-preserved in France. It has been little altered since its main construction phase in the 15C and very little restored in the 19C. It currently includes 10 towers, 4 doors, two of which are flanked by towers, and a postern which opened in the 19C, connected by a curtain, over a length of 1.434 meters.
Porte Saint-Michel , the Châtelet reported around 1350, refurbished around 1440-1450, the cover was put in place in the 17C. Restored in the 19C. The Châtelet includes a Museum of the Friends of Guérande, founded in 1928, which brings together an interesting collection of headdresses and traditional costumes from the peninsula, as well as archaeological collections and the Treasury of the Collegiate Church of Saint Aubin de Guérande. This gate dominates the Place du Marché au Bois square.
The Porte Vannetaise (you got it we come thru here from Vannes!): 13C. It is one of the oldest elements of the enclosure, it is of “Philippian” style. Some authors put forward the hypothesis that this gate was one of the elements of the Castle, or fortified Logis serving as a residence for the Dukes of Brittany, others, that it was linked to the residence of the bishop of Nantes called the bishopric.
Other gates are the Porte de Saillé: 16C. As for the Porte de Bizienne (more recent), the Saillé gate is made up of only one simple opening apparently little fortified, in fact the external earthen fortifications, leveled in the 18C, ensured this defensive function. The surrounding wall between the Porte de Saillé and the Poterne du Tricot, is dated according to some authors of the 12C and would therefore constitute the oldest surviving element of the first enclosure of Guérande. Porte Bizienne: historians assume that the name of this gate originates from a noblemen of Guérande. It is the most recent element of the fortified enclosure.
The towers or tours of the enclosure are 7 towers and these are the Saint-Jean tower (early 15C), the Sainte-Catherine tower (collapsed in early 1818, now disappeared), the Abreuvoir tower (1460-1470), the Gaudinais tower (mid 15C), the Kerbernet tower (mid 15C), the Sainte-Anne tower (mid 15C) and the Theological tower.
The roads and moats around the ramparts the mail or boulevard, built at the end of the 15C or at the beginning of the 16C, located between the Saint-Michel gate and the Saillé gate for the part still preserved, constituted a first line of defense, reinforcing the ramparts becoming less effective with the development of attack artillery, and moreover made it possible to deploy cannons. Its current appearance results from the installations of the Duke of Aiguillon who made it enhance and transform into a tree-lined promenade. This hill derives its name from the mall, an ancestor of croquet a sport which the gentlemen practiced. The
moats, originally dry, were dug between the Mail and the ramparts to strengthen the fortifications. They once completely surrounded the fortified enclosure. However, they were partly blocked because of the odor they gave off (part of the inhabitants threw their waste there). A part was however preserved between the Bizienne gate and the Vannetaise gate.
The city of Guérande on the old town heritage:https://www.ville-guerande.fr/pratique-vos-demarches/tourisme-et-decouvertes/visiter-la-cite-medievale/cite-medievale
The La Baule-Guérande tourist office on Guérande: https://www.labaule-guerande.com/en/discover/the-destination/guerande/
The official château musée of Guérande on the ramparts : https://www.portesaintmichel.fr/le-monument-et-les-remparts/histoire-et-architecture/
There you go folks,another jewel of my belle France. Where else we can keep so much treasury for the world to see even after devastating wars from 1789 onwards! France a moveable feast ! Do come to see Guérande and its marvels Again, hope you enjoy this post on the ramparts of Guérande !!! as I
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
