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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Niort's dungeon, also called Niort Castle, is an imposing double dungeon built at the end of the 12th century by Henry II Plantagenet or his son Richard Lion's Heart. This monument, the only vestige of the original castle, was erected to strengthen the defense of the lands brought by Aliénor d'Aquitaine. It was home to a fortified city including houses, gardens and a collegiate church that was now gone. The two towers, 16 metres apart, were initially connected by courtyards and a paved inner courtyard.

The castle served as a prison before being acquired by the city of Niort in 1791. The north tower, partially collapsed in 1749, was rebuilt in 1750 with improvements. Ranked a historic monument in 1840, the dungeon became a museum of ethnography in 1896 and was entrusted to the community of Niortais agglomeration in 2002. Its terrace offers panoramic views of the Sèvre Niortaise and the ancient city.

The site was originally a castrum attested from the tenth century, burned in 1104. Henry II made it a strategic fortress to control the Poitou and protect the river port. The archères, directed towards the city, and the opposite-facing windows, underline its defensive role. In the 15th century, a central body was added between the towers, while in the 18th century, the north tower was modified after its collapse.

In 2014, protection of the monument was extended to the remains of the castle and to the ground of adjacent plots. The dungeon illustrates the military architecture of the plantage with its thick walls, buttresses and mâchicoulis. Today, it houses a museum and symbolizes Niort's medieval heritage, between English history and Poitevin heritage.

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