French Castles

French Castles Of Brittany

2007-09-22T06:24:00.000-07:00

There are so many different areas of France that have so many wonderful French Castles that I wonder where to start looking first.

Unlike the French castles of the Loire with their magnificent splendour, Brittany's castles are in a minor league of their own, The people of Breton were very poor, so with their resources that they could get or they already had went mainly to build spiritual buildings, churches and parishes, rather than huge defensive buildings. Today there's hardly any remains of Brittany's first castles just a few pieces dotted here and there, even the wooded motte and the bailey forts from the middle ages have also gone. But when these castles started to be built from stone they could have stood a chance of survival. Brittany's material that they used and which was ideal was granite. But through the centuries the designs of these French castles changed due to the way that the armies fought, going from very lengthy sieges to artillery attacks. Then slowly the castles began to be built for domestic use, they made them more comfortable, and decorative with nice gardens. All of a sudden it brought a wealthy breed of people to Brittany.

So today what you see left of Brittany's French castles are mainly reconstructions of the original buildings. The reason behind these reconstructions is that the armies that did most of this damage, funnily enough, was actually Brittany's allies, and this major destruction was done when driving the enemy out.

Here are some wonderful artist pictures capturing French castles in all their glory. French Castles

French Castles - The Ruins Are Interesting To

2007-08-27T04:35:00.000-07:00

There are many French castles that are in ruins as well as being fully intact and they are just as interesting in their own right as each other. Sometimes visiting ruins give you a better feeling and hindsight of the history of these amazing buildings that once stood proudly defending their land and their inhabitants.

Alsace is the area of France with the highest number of feudal castles, which is a sign, of this areas battle ridden history. There are remains of more than 400 castles that have been discovered to date, most of them are in ruins. But a hundred have been found that are relatively still intact, and these are the ones that give you a good idea of their past splendour and of the boldness that often went into and out of these buildings through their solid huge castle walls, not knowing if they would return safely, or return at all.....

If you ever get the chance to visit this area then take my advice and make sure you go and see these once magnificent and amazing French castles, and see if you to can picture being in the past.

Discover French Castles - They Are More Comfortable Than You Think!

2007-08-26T03:10:00.000-07:00

My first impression, a long time ago, on hearing my friend say that they would love us to stay in one of the French castles was not a good one. Haunted, dusty, cobwebs and spiders every where. I think you will realise that I like my home comforts far too much.

However after much persuasion, and I might add, not too much research, I had found out that most castles have been designed and decorated with style. For instance, there are magnificent chandeliers, marble and stone fireplaces, gorgeous tiling and to me the best feature would have to be the sweeping stone staircases. Wow! I just thought of myself gliding down those stairs, heads turning from every direction, wow! That's when I thought my friend, for once just might have been right and I would love it. He was right, I did.

Could you live in this sort of splendour for a week or two? Judge for yourself and check out these classic French castles photos

It's a shame, but I can't always find the time to visit, or stay in one of these French castles, but I have now found a way to bring these fantastic French castles into my home. Take a look at these great quality prints that I have found and now look spectacular on my walls. I hope you like them as much as myself, I have the whole collection. Click on the French Castles link to see more... French Castles