Château de Loches

The Château de Loches is a castle located in the département of Indre-et-Loire in the Loire valley in France; it was constructed in the 9th century. Built some 500 m above the Indre River, the huge castle, famous mostly for its massive square keep, dominates the town of Loches. The castle was captured by King Philip II of France in 1204. In 1985 it was converted into a museum, and has one of the most extensive collections of medieval armour in France.

History
The castle was occupied by Henry II of England and his son, Richard the Lionheart during the 12th century, it withstood the assaults by the French king Philip II in their wars for control of France until it was finally captured by Philip in 1204. Construction work immediately upgraded Loches into a huge military fortress.

The castle would become a favorite residence of Charles VII of France, who gave it to his mistress, Agnès Sorel, as her residence. It would be converted for use as a State prison by his son, King Louis XI who had lived there as a child but preferred the royal castle in Amboise.

During the American Revolution, France financed and fought with the Americans against England and King Louis XVI used the castle of Loches as a prison for captured Englishmen.

At the time of the French Revolution, the château was ransacked and severely damaged. Some major restoration began in 1806 but today there are parts visible as ruins only. Owned by the Commune of Loches, the castle and the adjacent ancient Church of Saint-Ours are open to the public.

Château de Loches has been recognised as a monument historique since 1861 and is listed by the French Ministry of Culture.

Layout
The 11th-century keep – built by Fulk III, Count of Anjou – measures 23.3 by with walls 2.8 m thick. Its four storeys stand 37 m high. Each floor was a single room. As was typical of most keeps, the ground floor was mostly likely used for storage.