The Château de Montgeoffroy is an 18th-century manor house located in the commune of Mazé (Maine-et-Loire), France.
In 1676, Érasme de Contades acquired the property. In 1772, the Marshal Louis Georges Érasme de Contades, governor of Alsace, decided to rebuild the château as a retirement home. He called on the Parisian architect Jean-Benoît-Vincent Barré, who worked with the local architect Simier.
The marshal being far from Anjou, the work was directed primarily by his son, le marquis de Contades, his daughter-in-law, Julie Constantin de Marans, his mistress, Hélène Hérault, and her daughter-in-law, Marie-Marguerite Magon de La Lande. It took three years.
The old château was burned down, but Barré appreciated its U shape and kept two towers and the moat, as well as the chapel, which dated from 1543.
The building miraculously survived the French Revolution and the Revolt in the Vendée conserving its common buildings, agricultural structures, chapel and park. It also kept its archives and its furniture, which was studied by Pierre Verlet.

Château de Montgeoffroy

Account

by category

Login

Name

by region

Title

Name in English

The Chateau de Pignerolle is located to the east of Angers in the commune of Saint-Barthélemy-d'Anjou in the department of Maine-et-Loire in France.
Construction
Constructed in 1776 for the director of the equestrian academy in Angers, Marcel Avril de Pignerolle. Built in a neo-classic style with a four column frontage, it is 25m by 17m and lies in a park of 80 hectares.
History
1939–1940
On 1 September 1939 Germany invaded Poland. On 2 September, the 125th Polish Infantry Regiment was formed at Pignerolle before going to fight on the Moselle. The Chateau was requisitioned by the Polish government-in-exile. The Polish General Staff settled into the Chateau. Władysław Raczkiewicz became Polish President in Exile on 30 September 1939 and lived at the Chateau of Pignerolles from 2 December 1939.
Shortly after the outbreak of war, the Polish cryptologists, including Marian Rejewski were evacuated to France, where they continued breaking Enigma-enciphered messages working with the French and British code breakers. The Polish Government in Exile were located in nearby Angers.
The battle for France which began on 10 May 1940 with the invasion of the low countries concluded on 22 June 1940. At the time there were numerous Polish military units in France by June 1940, with Polish personnel in the country totaling 80,000 men. The staff from Pignerolle were amongst the 24,352 Polish personnel evacuated as part of Operation Ariel to Great Britain before the Chateau was captured on 19 June and was requisitioned by the Wehrmacht on 8 July. The Polish cryptologists and their support staff resumed work undercover a few months later in Vichy France until the end of 1942.
1942–1944
Following the St Nazaire Raid on 28 March 1942 the German Navy, the commander of the Kriegsmarine, Erich Raeder decided the risk to certain units of seaborne attack was high and decided to relocate the western command centre for U-boats to Pignerolle.
The Chateau was chosen as it was far enough from the sea to be safe, whilst the radio communications in the area were good as the land was very flat.
Construction began on a command bunker, the same plans were used for the late 1943 bunker Koralle located in Germany 30 km from Berlin, it is three contiguous bunkers, with its 3m think roof it covers 1,500 sq m, being 34m by 56m in size. With ten other concrete constructions and thirty wooden barracks being completed by 600 Organisation Todt workers starting in April 1942 and finishing in May 1943.
The part buried main command bunker had teletype communications as well as 16 aerial masts on its roof to transmit and receive enigma coded messages with submarines in the Atlantic.
In Jul 1942 Hans-Rudolf Rösing was appointed as FdU West (Führer der Unterseeboote West) Pignerolle became his headquarters. He was responsible for the eight flotillas of boats committed to the Battle of the Atlantic, and thus a great majority of the entire U-boat fleet until autumn 1944. In February 1943 he was promoted to Fregattenkapitän, and one month later to Kapitän zur See.
On 30 January 1943 Doenitz was appointed Oberbefehlshaber der Kriegsmarine in place of Grossadmiral Raeder. He visited the Chateau on a number of occasions including August 1943.
All communications with U-Boats in the Atlantic were routed from Berlin through the Pignerolle command and communications centre.
The park was used by up to 1,000 German submariners for rest, relaxation and training purposes. In case of an air raid, the men could shelter in bunkers that were designed as two story above ground air raid shelters. A 133m tunnel was constructed from the Chateau to the command bunker. The bunkers around the Chateau do not conform to the standardized Regelbau system. The Chateau received submariner visitors from Italy and Japan during 1944.
The Germans departed on 9 August 1944, setting fire to the equipment in the main bunker.
There is little evidence of aerial attacks on Pigerolle, possible because of the importance of intercepting enigma coded messages to submarines that could be decoded. On average 31 boats operated in any one month and of those, 16–17 disappeared per month, in total, 371 U-Boats were lost in the Battle of the Atlantic almost all whilst commanded from Pignerolle.
1945-date
The barracks were used firstly by US troops then as a repatriation center until in January 1946 it housed 1,000 displaced people whose homes had been destroyed during the war, they continued in use until 1964. Listed as a national monument in 1961.
The command bunker was taken over by the French government as a reserve nuclear fallout center for President Charles de Gaulle during the Cold War era, moving to the ownership of the French Government in 1964. It is still not accessible to the public although several of the other bunkers have been opened to public viewing on occasions.
Acquired by Angers in 1971, the park, gardens and Chateau were restored over the next 20 years.
From 1992 until it closed in 2015 the Chateau was a museum dedicated to European communications from prehistoric times until the 20th-century.
The gardens remain open to the public and occasional events are held in the park.

Château de Pignerolle

The Château de Baugé is a castle, extensively altered and restored to create a château, in the commune of Baugé-en-Anjou in the Maine-et-Loire département of France. Construction dates from the first quarter of the 11th century, the second half of the 14th century, the second and third quarters of the 15th century and the second quarter of the 16th century.
History
In 1007, Foulques III Nerra, Count of Anjou, built a powerful fortress on a rocky outcrop at the confluence of two rivers, the Couasnon and the Altrée. The fortress had to withstand the later attacks of his enemy, the Count of Blois.
In the 15th century, Yolande of Aragon, mother of René, Count of Anjou, began construction of a castle within the fortress. She burnt it down during the Hundred Years' War to prevent it being taken by the English. The present structure dates from 1442, when René of Anjou inherited the ruin. He decide to build a majestic residence on the site to benefit from the well-stocked game forest of the country and to reside. In 1454, he appointed as his architect Guillaume Robin and construction began the same year. By 1462, some parts were occupied, and the whole was completed in 1465. René also designed the gardens which were planted with shrubs and flowers. The château became one of his favourite homes and he often visited to hunt and for magnificent banquets.
After René's death in 1480, Anjou was annexed under the crown by Louis XI. The barony of Baugé and its château passed through several hands and noted families, notably the family of Alençon, the Comte d'Enghien, the Comtesse de Soissons, Louise et Marie de Savoie-Carignan, the Duchesse de Luynes, the Duc de La Rochefoucauld and the Duc d'Estissac. Eventually, the barony was given to "Monsieur", the King's brother, Count of Provence, the future Louis XVIII.
Upkeep of the château was neglected by successive owners who preferred to live elsewhere. In 1790, it was very dilapidated. During the 19th century it was partly used as a cavalry barracks; part was given to the commune and a theatre was installed in 1844. Various piecemeal attempts at repair and restoration were made. In 1960, a major project was begun for the restoration of the exterior of the château.
The castle is the property of the commune and is now a municipal museum. It has been protected since 1961 as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.

Château de Baugé

Château de Grésillon is a building from the eighteenth century and its 18 hectare park, works as a cultural house of Esperanto. It is located in Baugé-en-Anjou, about thirty kilometers east of Angers in Maine-et-Loire. Purchased through the subscription of Esperanto donors grouped into non-profit association "Kulturdomo of Franclandaj esperantistoj" founded in 1951 on the initiative of Henry Micard it hosts ever since Esperanto from all countries who come to make tourist trips cultural. The cultural house basically works when the school holidays and offers a varied program of linguistic and thematic courses. It welcomes in particular the training camp in international mathematics Olympiad every summer between 2007 and 2011.
http://www.frenchchateau.net/chateaux-of-pays-de-la-loire/chateau-de-gresillon.html

Château de Grésillon

The Château de Brissac is a French château in the commune of Brissac-Quincé, located in the département of Maine-et-Loire, France. The property is owned by the Cossé-Brissac family, whose head bears the French noble title of Duke of Brissac. The château is listed as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.
History
The château was originally built as a castle by the Counts of Anjou in the 11th century. After the victory over the English by King Philip II of France, he gave the property to Guillaume des Roches. In the 15th century, the structure was rebuilt by Pierre de Brézé, a wealthy chief minister to King Charles VII of France. During the reign (1515–47) of King Francis I, the property was acquired by René de Cossé, who was named by the King as governor of Anjou and Maine.
During the French Wars of Religion, the château was made a possession in 1589 by the Protestant leader, Henry of Navarre. Severely damaged, the fortress was scheduled to be demolished. However, Charles II de Cossé sided with Henry of Navarre, who soon was crowned King of France. In gratitude, King Henry gave him the property, the title Duke of Brissac and the money to rebuild the château in 1611.
Its construction made it the tallest château in France,[4] and its façade reflects the influences of the 17th century's Baroque architecture. Through marriage, the Cossé-Brissac family also acquired the Château Montreuil-Bellay, but later sold it.
In August 1620, King Louis XIII and his mother, Marie de Medici, met to discuss their differences in the "neutral" territory of the Château de Brissac. A temporary truce between the two was reached, but it did not last long, and the Queen Mother was eventually banished.
The descendants of the first Duke of Brissac maintained the château until 1792, when the property was ransacked during the French Revolution. It lay in waste until a restoration program began in 1844 and was carried on by subsequent Dukes of Brissac.
The château today
Today, the Château de Brissac is still owned by the Cossé-Brissac family. The property is currently managed by Charles-André de Cossé-Brissac, Marquis of Brissac (b. 1962), who is the eldest son of François de Cossé-Brissac, the current Duke of Brissac (b. 1929).
The château has seven stories altogether, making it the tallest château in the Loire Valley. The château is open to the public for tours and overnight stays in its guest rooms, and the luxurious gilded theater hosts the annual Val de Loire festival. It was also used until recently as a location for Brazilian celebrity magazine "Caras".
In popular culture
During the mid 1990s, the château was prominently featured as the temporary stadium for the Iron Chef French Battles, of the original Japanese Iron Chef television show. Two battles were staged at the Château de Brissac and aired in Japan on April 12, 1996. The first battle, with theme ingredient salmon, was between Bernard Leprince and Iron Chef Japanese Koumei Nakamura, and it was won by Leprince. At the time, Leprince was the chef at La Tour d'Argent in Paris. The second battle was between Pierre Gagnaire and Iron Chef French Hiroyuki Sakai, with theme ingredient lobster, and it was won by Gagnaire. The château was also featured in the Japanese visual novel version of Fate/Stay Night.

Château de Brissac

The Château d'Angers is a castle in the city of Angers in the Loire Valley, in the département of Maine-et-Loire, in France. Founded in the 9th century by the Counts of Anjou, it was expanded to its current size in the 13th century. It is located overhanging the river Maine. It is a listed historical monument since 1875. Now open to the public, the Château d'Angers is home of the Apocalypse Tapestry.
Originally, the Château d'Angers was built as a fortress at a site inhabited by the Romans because of its strategic defensive location.
In the 9th century, the Bishop of Angers gave the Counts of Anjou permission to build a castle in Angers. The construction of the first castle begun under Count Fulk III (970–1040), celebrated for his construction of dozens of castles, who built it to protect Anjou from the Normans. It became part of the Angevin Empire of the Plantagenet Kings of England during the 12th century. In 1204, the region was conquered by Philip II and the new castle was constructed during the minority of his grandson, Louis IX ("Saint Louis") in the early part of the 13th century. Louis IX rebuilt the castle in whitestone and black slate, with 17 semicircular towers. The construction undertaken in 1234 cost 4,422 livres, roughly one per cent of the estimated royal revenue at the time. Louis gave the castle to his brother, Charles in 1246.
In 1352, King John II le Bon, gave the castle to his second son, Louis who later became count of Anjou. Married to the daughter of the wealthy Duke of Brittany, Louis had the castle modified, and in 1373 commissioned the famous Apocalypse Tapestry from the painter Hennequin de Bruges and the Parisian tapestry-weaver Nicolas Bataille. Louis II (Louis I's son) and Yolande d'Aragon added a chapel (1405–12) and royal apartments to the complex. The chapel is a sainte chapelle, the name given to churches which enshrined a relic of the Passion. The relic at Angers was a splinter of the fragment of the True Cross which had been acquired by Louis IX.
In the early 15th century, the hapless dauphin who, with the assistance of Joan of Arc would become King Charles VII, had to flee Paris and was given sanctuary at the Château d' Angers.
In 1562, Catherine de' Medici had the castle restored as a powerful fortress, but, her son, Henry III, reduced the height of the towers and had the towers and walls stripped of their embattlements; Henry III used the castle stones to build streets and develop the village of Angers. Nonetheless, under threat of attacks from the Huguenots, the king maintained the castle's defensive capabilities by making it a military outpost and by installing artillery on the château's upper terraces. At the end of the 18th century, as a military garrison, it showed its worth when its thick walls withstood a massive bombardment by cannons from the Vendean army. Unable to do anything else, the invaders simply gave up.
A military academy was established in the castle to train young officers in the strategies of war. Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, best known for taking part in the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo, was trained at the Military Academy of Angers. The academy was moved to Saumur and the castle was used for the rest of the 19th century as a prison, powder magazine, and barracks.
Modern
The castle continued to be used as an armory through the First and Second World Wars. It was severely damaged during World War II by the Nazis when an ammunition storage dump inside the castle exploded.
On 10 January 2009, the castle suffered severe damage from an accidental fire due to short-circuiting. The Royal Logis, which contains old tomes and administrative offices, was the most heavily damaged part of the chateau, resulting in 400 square metres (4,300 sq ft) of the roof being completely burnt. The Tapestries of the Apocalypse were not damaged. Total damages have been estimated at 2 million Euros. According to Christine Albanel, the Minister of Culture, the expected date of completion for the restoration was the second trimester of 2009.
Today, owned by the City of Angers, the massive, austere castle has been converted to a museum housing the oldest and largest collection of medieval tapestries in the world, with the 14th-century "Apocalypse Tapestry" as one of its priceless treasures. As a tribute to its fortitude, the castle has never been taken by any invading force in history.

Château d'Angers

Dominating the Loir River, this unassailable stronghold protected the town of Angers. The initial construction went back to the 11th. Over the ages the Fulk the Black’s castle turned into a sumptuous monument representative of the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries that Kings of France, from Henry II to Louis XIII, enjoyed visiting. 
The castle is a noteworthy example of the transition between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The proud castle of the Counts of Anjou is a veritable lesson of architecture and now it still protects the town of Durtal that is lying under its fortification.
http://www.chateau-durtal.com

Château de Durtal

Château du Plessis-Bourré is a château in the Loire Valley in France, situated in the commune of Écuillé in the Maine-et-Loire department. Built in less than 5 years from 1468 to 1472 by Finance Minister Jean Bourré, the principal advisor to King Louis XI. The château has not been modified externally since its construction and still has a fully working drawbridge. It was classified as a Monument historique in 1931.
The château was purchased in 1911 by Henry Vaïsse who, when he died in 1956, bequeathed it to his nephew, François Reille-Soult, Duke of Dalmatie, descendant of the marshals of the French empire Soult, Reille and Masséna.
In 1978, Antoinette de Ferrières de Sauvebœuf, born de Croix, granddaughter of the Duke of Dalmatie, and her spouse Bruno de Ferrières de Sauvebœuf took the responsibility of heading the renovation and maintenance of the château until 2009. They lived there with their three children, Victor (1976), Matthias (1978), and Jean-Baptiste (1980), for 31 years, the longest stay of a single family since 1473.
Since 2010, it has been inhabited by descendants of François Reille-Soult of Dalmatie and managed by Aymeric d'Anthenaise and Jean-François Reille-Soult de Dalmatie.
The Château du Plessis-Bourré has been the location for numerous films, including:
Peau d'Âne (1970) by Jacques Demy
Louis XI by J.C. Lubtchansky
Jeanne d'Arc (1989 telefilm) by Pierre Badel
Le Bossu (1997) by Philippe de Broca
Fanfan la Tulipe (2003) by Gérard Krawczyk
La Reine et le Cardinal (telefilm)
The Princess of Montpensier (2009) by Bertrand Tavernier
Louis XI, Le Pouvoir Fracassé (2010) by Henri Helman with Jacques Perrin