The Donjon de Houdan (Houdan Keep) is a medieval fortified tower in the ''

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

'' of

Houdan Houdan () is a commune of the Yvelines department west of Paris in the north of France. History The name has evolved from the Saxon "Hoding," meaning "settlement on the hill". Houdan is thought to have been inhabited since the 5th century. B ...

in the

Yvelines Yvelines () is a department in the western part of the Île-de-France region in Northern France. In 2019, it had a population of 1,448,207.département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivity, territorial collectivities"), between the regions of France, admin ...

'' of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Architecture

Constructed around 1120-1137 by

Amaury III of Montfort Amaury III de Montfort ( † April 18 or 19, 1137) was a French nobleman, the seigneur de Montfort-l'Amaury, Épernon, and Houdan in the Île-de-France (1101–) and Count of Évreux in Normandy (1118–). Life Amaury was the son of Simon I, seign ...

, the keep or donjon is the only vestige of the 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 ...

of Houdan. It is a massive tower isolated from the town in the west, once used as a water tower. The tower is cylindrical, 16 metres in diameter and 25 metres in height. It is flanked by four turrets 4.8 metres in diameter each at cardinal points on the central cylinder. The walls of the tower have an average thickness of three metres. The tower consists of three levels: a ground floor, and two higher floors. The interior floors and roof have disappeared. An access door was located 6 metres above the ground level and once gave access to the

mezzanine A mezzanine (; or in Italian language, Italian, a ''mezzanino'') is an intermediate floor in a building which is partly open to the double-height ceilinged floor below, or which does not extend over the whole floorspace of the building, a loft ...

floor. Another entrance was located in one of the turrets. The donjon is thought to have been one of the earliest experiments in improving flanking fire from the battlements (reduction of "dead ground"), and a transitional form between the rectangular keeps of the 11th to 12th centuries, and widespread adoption of cylindrical keeps in the 13th century. Other contemporary examples can be seen at

Étampes Étampes () is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southwest from the center of Paris (as the crow flies). Étampes is a sub-prefecture of the Essonne department. Étampes, together with the neighboring c ...

and

Provins Provins () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Known for its well-preserved medieval architecture and importance throughout the Middle Ages as an economic center and a host of annu ...

History

* 1120–1137: construction of the keep * 1880: installation of a 200 kilolitre cistern in the keep, transforming it into a water tower (french: château d'eau) * 1889: classified as an official historical building (french:

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 ...

) * 1903: acquisition of the keep by the town of Houdan, courtesy of the last private owner, a Dr. Aulet. * 1970: replacement water cistern built nearby * 2014: 1.3M Euro restoration program * 2016: reopened to the public This tower has never been taken during its history.

References

External links

Engraving of the original castle

Home-page of the association « ''le Donjon de Houdan'' »
*
Donjon of Houdan, Pictures and History
{{DEFAULTSORT:Houdan, donjon de Buildings and structures completed in 1137 Towers completed in the 12th century Castles in Île-de-France Yvelines Monuments historiques of Île-de-France Water towers in France

Architecture

History

See also

References

External links