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Castle-museum with medieval military architecture, the tower that served as a dungeon houses the Museum of Art and Archaeology of Vitré.
The castle of Vitré is one of the most beautiful Breton constructions of medieval military architecture. When the heiress of the barony of Vitré married the powerful Duke of Laval in 1239, most of the structures were already fixed. The fortress was built mainly in the 14th and 15th centuries, after the War of Succession of Brittany, at the height of the Vitré-Laval family. The tradition wants that the imposing mass of the fortress testifies to the power of the Lord of the place. Flanked by corner towers, around a triangular plan, the castle opens on a drawbridge and a châtelet surrounded by two machicolated towers. To the south, the imposing Saint-Laurent tower, which served as a keep, now houses the Vitré Museum of Art and Archaeology. Inside the châtelet, the former seigniorial buildings now house the town hall. The chapel is a jewel of the Renaissance. The tower of the Orangery was converted into a museum of natural history in 1876 by Arthur de La Borderie in the encyclopedic spirit. The Oratory tower was converted into a museum of regional folk arts. You can admire a 16th century triptych decorated with Limoges enamels depicting scenes from the Old Testament. In the 13th century, ramparts reinforced the fortress. It underwent a major restoration at the end of the 19th century after being classified as a historical monument. The castle now houses the town hall and a museum. It is therefore an essential stop for all history and heritage lovers.
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