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The Château de Tiffauges is a medieval
Official web site
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tiffauges, Chateau De Castles in Pays de la Loire Museums in Vendée Historic house museums in Pays de la Loire Monuments historiques of Pays de la Loire
The Château de Tiffauges is a medieval castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
situated in the French '' commune'' of Tiffauges in the Vendée département.
The castle is also known as the ''château de Barbe-bleue'' ( Bluebeard's castle) after its most famous resident, Gilles de Rais, known as Barbe-bleue. It was here that Bluebeard perpetrated his atrocities.
Location
The castle is in the Marches (border lands) between Brittany, Poitou and Anjou and thus an important strategic point. It is positioned on a hill at theconfluence
In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...
of the Sèvre Nantaise and Crûme rivers, this position providing protection against assailants.
History
The castle was built between the 12th and 16th centuries. The notorious murderer, Gilles de Rais (1404–1440) is associated with the castle. For a long time, the castle was abandoned and lay in ruins, the inner yard even used for a while as a football pitch by the local club, RST Tiffauges. The castle is now owned by the '' Conseil Général'' of Vendée. It hosts a series of spectacles and collections, including medieval war machines and an alchemy centre. The castle has been classified as a ''monument historique
''Monument historique'' () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which National Heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a coll ...
'' by the French Ministry of Culture since 1957.
See also
* List of castles in FranceReferences
External links
Official web site
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tiffauges, Chateau De Castles in Pays de la Loire Museums in Vendée Historic house museums in Pays de la Loire Monuments historiques of Pays de la Loire