Also known as Château de Barbe-bleue (Bluebeard’s castle) after its most infamous resident, Gilles de Rais, known as Barbe-bleue. The château is one of France’s largest medieval monuments and it is set over three hectares with a 700m outer wall and the remains of 18 towers.
Within the grounds is a collection of medieval war machines – there are working demonstrations of them every day. There are also films and other attractions that focus on the medieval times. Gilles de Rais fought with Joan of Arc and was considered a hero of the Hundred Years War. He retired to the château and here became interested in alchemy, in particular whether it was possible to make gold from blood. He was accused of murdering more than 200 children in the area in pursuit of his theory…