Fougères offers one of the largest and most impressive fortresses in France. It has an amazing history of wars, battles, and similar grim events. But the architecture is remarkable, and the information provided by the monument explains it all. It's also been designed to interest children, with many clever displays and multi-media experiences that captivate both younger and older visitors. On the whole, a great stop for a couple hours of castle-strolling. SEE MORE BELOW. Next up - Vitré - a pleasant surprise. We expected an interesting chateau/fortress, but were also impressed with the ancient surrounding town - - and it's people. ABOUT FOUGERES, via Wikipedia: Fougères' most famous monument and attraction is the Château de Fougères, a medieval stronghold built atop a granite ledge, which was part of the Duchy of Brittany's ultimately unsuccessful defence against French aggression, and part of a tripartate with Vitré. Fougères also has one of only three belfries in Brittany, whose location serves as the centre of the weekend market. The belfry, built 1397, has symbolic importance: funded by local merchants, it allowed ordinary people access to timekeeping, previously the preserve of the church and nobility. Fougères is a town of Art and History (Villes et Pays d'Art et d'Histoire), a designation assigned to historic areas by the French Ministry of Culture and Communication. The town was involved in the rebellion against the French Revolution in 1793. A skirmish near Fougères was the subject of the French painter Julien Le Blant's (1851–1933) most famous work Le Bataillon Carré, Affaire de Fougères 1793, which won a Gold Medal in the Exposition Universelle in 1889. This large work is now located in the United States, at the Lee Library on the campus of Brigham Young University. A sizable section of the town walls survives, stretching from the château in the lower town up the hill to surround the upper town. Medieval citizens in the lower town were outside the fortifications and had to retreat into the fortress in times of trouble. ABOUT VITRE, via Wikipedia: Vitré, a sub-prefecture until 1926, is the seat of a canton of around 16,834 inhabitants (2010). It lies on the edge of Brittany, near Normandy, Maine, and Anjou. The town has been designated a ville d'art et d'histoire, a town of artistic and historic significance, by the Ministry of Culture in recognition of its rich cultural inheritance. Vitré is the 37th French city with the most historic buildings and has 14% of the historical monuments of the department.

• published: 09 Oct 2014
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