- Castle of the Dukes of Brittany

The Castle of the Dukes of Brittany, a giant of granite, slate and tufa, had never before been restored in its entirety.

Prior to the restoration programme, the poor state of the buildings, the closure of a number of areas, the lack of a structured visitor experience, the dated and lacklustre museum presentation, with many repetitions in the collections, meant visitor expectations were disappointed.

Marie-Hélène Jouzeau, Chief Heritage Curator and Director of the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany, has led the project.
Pascal Prunet, chief architect of the Historical Monuments authority led the final phase of the building restoration, when the oldest sections were completed.
The architect Jean-Francis Bodin was responsible for the development work for the new museum in the former ducal palace.

This major project, which entered its final phase in 2000, required the daily involvement of 70 to 100 people on the site and has contributed to the preservation of some historic skills, with a number of trades playing an important role: stone cutting, roofing, joinery, blacksmithing, stained glass...

It has also provided an opportunity for innovation and experimentation with new techniques: treating the tufa stone, working on the roof timbers, restoring the bell-tower and installing pipework for heating, air conditioning, information technology and communications in a late 15th century building...