Located on a promontory overlooking a tributary and an arm of the Loire, on the right bank, the Château de Champtocé is mentioned as early as the 11th century when the counts of Anjou controlled traffic on the river there. A first castellum was built there around 1075 and then it became a fortress at the beginning of the 14th century.
Strategic site between Anjou and Brittany, place of toll for bargemen, the castle subsequently experienced many changes of owners. However, it was already partially ruined during the Revolution.
Accessible via a gatehouse guarding a drawbridge and protected by gunboats, the castle was made up of eleven towers. Only one remains today, as well as a postern.
Today Château de Champtocé is a protected historical monument belonging to the community. It has been the subject since the 1990s of security and restoration work undertaken by an association of passionate volunteers.
References:The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (today Istanbul) since its founding as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great. With numerous additions and modifications during their history, they were the last great fortification system of antiquity, and one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built. They were also the largest and strongest fortification in both the ancient and medieval world.
Initially built by Constantine the Great, the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against attack from both sea and land. As the city grew, the famous double line of the Theodosian Walls was built in the 5th century. Although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, they were, when well-manned, almost impregnable for any medieval besieger.