Château de Caen

Château de Caen

A great fortress in the city

In the heart of the Norman city of Caen rises one of the largest medieval fortresses in Europe. The Château de Caen is not a single tall castle but a vast walled enclosure, ringed by ramparts and towers, enclosing a wide space dotted with old halls, a church, gardens and museums. Founded nearly a thousand years ago, it has been at the centre of the city's life ever since.

William the Conqueror's stronghold

The castle was founded around 1060 by William, Duke of Normandy — the same William who, a few years later, would conquer England and become known as William the Conqueror. William made Caen one of his favourite cities, and his great fortress here became a centre of his power in Normandy.

He and his wife, Queen Matilda, also founded two great abbeys in Caen — the Men's Abbey and the Women's Abbey — and William was later buried in the Men's Abbey. So the city of Caen is deeply marked by the Conqueror and his family, with the castle as the mighty stronghold at its heart.

Growing through the centuries

Over the years the castle was enlarged and strengthened by the dukes of Normandy and the kings of England and France, who at different times ruled this much-contested region. Strong walls, gateways and towers were added, and within the enclosure stood a keep, a great hall where assemblies met, and the lovely church of Saint-Georges.

Because Caen lay on the frontier between English-held and French-held lands during the Hundred Years' War, the castle saw plenty of fighting and changed hands more than once.

War and recovery

The Château de Caen, like the city around it, suffered terribly during the Second World War. In 1944, after the D-Day landings on the nearby Normandy beaches, Caen was the scene of long and brutal fighting, and much of the city — including parts of the castle — was damaged or destroyed by bombing and battle.

After the war, the castle was repaired, and archaeologists used the chance to study its ancient foundations. The great enclosure was turned into a cultural heart for the rebuilt city.

A castle full of museums

Today the vast walled space of the Château de Caen holds two important museums — a museum of fine arts and a museum of Normandy — along with the old church and the remains of the keep and great hall. The wide ramparts can be walked for views over the city, and the gardens within make a pleasant place to rest.

Visiting today

Visitors can walk through the great gateways into the enormous enclosure, explore the museums, the church and the ruins of the keep, and stroll the ramparts above the city. Displays tell the story of William the Conqueror, the dukes of Normandy, and the city's dramatic history right up to the Second World War. Vast, ancient and central to the story of Normandy, the Château de Caen is one of the great fortresses of France.