Paris, France
1163
Strasbourg, France
1015-1469
Avignon, France
1670-1672
Chartres, France
1145-1260
Reims, France
13th century
Lyon, France
1180
Amiens, France
c. 1220
Bordeaux, France
1096
Rouen, France
1202
Nice, France
1650-1699
Metz, France
1220
Albi, France
1287-1480
Bayeux, France
1077
Bourges, France
1195-1260
Saint-Malo, France
1146
Marseille, France
1852-1896
Laon, France
c. 1160
Orléans, France
1278-1329
Lille, France
1854
Le Mans, France
834 AD
Château de Niort is a medieval castle in the French town of Niort. It consists of two square towers, linked by a 15th-century building and dominates the Sèvre Niortaise valley.
The two donjons are the only remaining part of the castle. The castle was started by Henry II Plantagenet in the 12th century and completed by Richard the Lionheart. It was defended by a rectangular curtain wall and was damaged during the Wars of Religion. In the 18th century, the castle served as a prison.
The present keeps were the central point of a massive fortress. The southern keep is 28m tall, reinforced with turrets. The northern tower is slightly shorter at 23m. Both are flanked with circular turrets at the corners as well as semicircular buttresses. Each of the towers has a spiral staircase serving the upper floors. The Romanesque architecture is of a high quality with the dressed stones closely jointed.