600 motte castles in Maine-et-Loire!
The motte castles, places of life and defense, appeared in the 8th century, and spread rapidly during the following two centuries, to the point that more than 600 have been counted in Maine-et-Loire alone! Easy and quick to build, inexpensive, using local materials, earth and wood, they preceded the stone walls and keeps which only appeared towards the end of the 10th century.
What is a motte castle?
It is a mound of earth built to carry, at its top, a square wooden tower. It is the center of the castle. Around it, a whole small society is established, peasants, servants, soldiers... one will thus find there buildings of defense, buildings of dwelling, and utilitarian places.
The Motte de la Haie Joulain castle
The medieval mound is still there, and it was chosen to preserve it. It is therefore still visible, about 500 meters from the present site.
The site itself is a true reconstruction, a life-size model, of the entire village as it was in the Middle Ages.
A true "state of the art" of historical and archaeological research, it offers visitors, by its authenticity, a real visit back in time.
In addition to this aspect of veracity, it also offers workshops, numerous animations, in short, a medieval village life!
Motte de la Haie Joulain Castle
André Delibes Park - Avenue du Parc
49480 Verrières-en-Anjou
Tel : 02 41 05 89 31
chateau@verrieres-anjou.fr
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
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