- Castle of the Dukes of Brittany

A listed historical monument, the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany bears witness to the history of Nantes and of Brittany.

Seen from the city, it is a fortress with 500 metres of curtain walls punctuated by seven towers linked by a sentry walk.

The inner courtyard reveals an elegant 15th century ducal residence in tufa stone, in the Renaissance style, with other buildings dating from the 16th and 18th centuries.
Their white stone, elegance and sophisticated sculpted façades contrast strikingly with the roughness of the exterior walls built of granite blocks separated by layers of schist.

The restoration has highlighted the remarkable qualities of the site. Particularly spectacular are the different sections of the 15th century Ducal Palace.

In the courtyard, the inner façades of the main ducal residence (Grand Logis), the Golden Crown Tower (Tour de la Couronne d'Or) and the Principal Governor's Palace (Grand Gouvernement) have been completely restored. The replacement of missing elements such as the spires and the bell-tower give the building a verticality it had lost over the centuries.

Inside, the 32 rooms have been restored and refurbished to house the Nantes History Museum.

Outside, the refurbishment of the courtyard and the complete sentry walk, the creation of a garden in the moat ditches, the re-opening of two further historic entrances (the Loire postern gate [poterne de Loire] and the Emergency Bridge [pont de secours]), and the night-time illumination of the monument, have all contributed to the site's renaissance.