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Origin and history

The Castle of Landal, located in Broualan in Ille-et-Vilaine, is a medieval building dating back to the 11th century. It was initially a seigneurial mansion, then a fortress fortified in the 15th century with four towers, two of which still partially remain. The estate, surrounded by moats and a pond, was protected by a enclosure with courtine and drawbridge. He served as a garrison for the Dukes of Brittany during the Hundred Years' War, notably under Marie de Montauban, accused of poisoning and forced to lock up there.

In the 17th century, the castle was profoundly redesigned, including its quadrangular dungeon surrounded by four round towers. In 1758 he was burned by the English in retaliation for the resistance of his owner, Olivier-Joseph de France, captain of the Dol Coast Guard. The estate, which extends over 350 hectares, includes a seigneurial chapel, a dovecote, and a cavalier avenue of 1,200 meters, typical of the great Breton castles.

The castle changed hands several times, passing from Rohan to Rochechouart-Mortemart, then to the family of France, who obtained the erection of Landal in the county in 1716. In the 19th century, Louis du Breil partially rebuilt the house, and architect Arthur Regnault added a monumental doorway in 1899. Listed at the Historic Monuments in 1981 for its facades and roofs, the castle, after periods of abandonment and vandalism, remains a symbol of Breton heritage, although not accessible to the public today.

The lordship of Landal, mentioned in the 11th century, was owned by illustrious families such as the Montsorel, Aubigné, Montauban, and Rohan. These lines marked Breton history, notably through marriage alliances and conflicts, such as the alleged poisoning of Louis I of Rohan-Guéméné by Marie de Montauban. The castle, which witnessed these intrigues, was also a strategic issue during the Franco-English wars.

In the 18th century, Landal County moved to the Breil family, which kept it until its sale in 1892 to Maurice de Thomasson. The latter partially modernises the whole, but the drawbridge project does not succeed. After 2013, the castle, managed briefly by the Guyot family, fell back into abandonment in 2016 due to a dispute with the current owner of Lucerne Abbey. Despite its state, it still attracts urban explorers.

The Landal estate, with its 100-hectare wood and 600-are walled vegetable garden, illustrates Breton defensive and seigneurial architecture. Its protected elements — dungeon, common, chapel and escape — reflect the successive transformations, from medieval fortifications to 17th and 19th century developments. Today, although closed to the public, there remains a major testimony of the historical and architectural heritage of Brittany.

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