Les remparts de Guérande

Take a tour of the ramparts of the medieval town...

Begun in the 14th century, the city walls in their current form extend over 1,300 m. They are pierced by four gates at the 4 cardinal points: Saint-Michel to the east, Vannetaise to the north, Bizienne to the west and de Saillé to the south. In 1848, an additional gateway was opened to the south-west of the curtain walls: the poterne du Tricot. The ramparts have been listed as historic monuments since 1877.

An example of Breton military architecture in the Middle Ages, the ramparts of Guérande are flanked by 6 towers and 4 gates. Did you know that Guérande is sometimes referred to as the Carcassonne of the West? A moat still runs the length of the ramparts, from the Tour Théologale to the Porte Bizienne, giving a partial idea of what the town looked like in the 14th century. Guérande was not always surrounded by ramparts. It was in 1343 that Jean IV de Montfort, Duke of Brittany, ordered Guillaume de Verger, captain of Guérande, to surround the town with ramparts.
The Porte Saint-Michel remains the symbol of this fortified wall. Transformed into a fortified dwelling for the Governor of the town, this 15th-century gateway, as evidenced by the marks of the stonemasons of the period, overlooks the road to Saint-Nazaire and has been entirely restored. Since 1928, it has housed the Musée de Guérande.