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Started at the end of the 15th century, between 1476 and 1482, the construction of St-Maurice castle took place in several stages. They began by building a tower with doors, then a crenellated enclosure and guard towers. This led to the construction of the main body of the building and, at the beginning of the 16th century, a large retaining wall to which a new tower with a large ogival door was added.
A fire destroyed the city and St-Maurice castle simultaneously in 1693. It was completely and quickly rebuilt to remain over time, the region’s seat of power.
It has been used as the governor’s headquarters, a guard and customs post, and between the 18th and 19th centuries an orphanage, an asylum for the elderly, a military school, a lodging for troops or a prison. During the 20th century it became less active but more open to the general public with, after a major refurbishment in the 70s, the function of Valais cantonal military museum.
The castle is now a venue for receptions of the State Council of Valais and an exhibition space dedicated to drawings, newspaper cartoons and comic strips. Like a nod to the famous painter Turner (1775-1851) who one day stopped in front of the castle to do a romantic painting.
References:The Château du Lude is one of the many great châteaux of the Loire Valley in France. Le Lude is the most northerly château of the Loire Valley and one of the last important historic castles in France, still inhabited by the same family for the last 260 years. The château is testimony to four centuries of French architecture, as a stronghold transformed into an elegant house during the Renaissance and the 18th century. The monument is located in the valley of Le Loir. Its gardens have evolved throughout the centuries.
