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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The castle of L'Aigle is a 17th century house built on the site of an old 11th century fortress, dismantled during the Hundred Years War. It was built at the initiative of the Acre family, including Louis des Acres, Marquis de L'Aigle, from 1690. The work ended around 1732 under the direction of his son, Jacques-Louis des Acres. The castle, enlarged over the centuries, was severely damaged in 1944 during the fighting of the Liberation.

The castle consists of two square buildings, adorned with triangular front bodies and exposed brick curves. A central stone staircase, with a wrought iron ramp in the Louis XVI style, serves the floors. In the north, a small building of the same style once housed stables and sheds. From the Reconstruction, the castle hosts L'Aigle Town Hall.

The castle and its communes were classified as historical monuments by order of 28 April 1948. An outbuilding of the castle houses the museum June 44, inaugurated in 1953 by the Marshal Leclerc of Hautecloque. This museum traces, through life-size wax scenes, the landmark events of the Battle of Normandy.

The site is now owned by the municipality. Its architecture and history make it an emblematic place of the Normandy region, mixing seigneurial heritage and the memory of the Second World War.

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