Overview

Hype:

The Château de Caen is a castle in the Norman town of Caen in the Calvados département (Normandy). It has been officially classed as a Monument historique since 1886. The castle was built c. 1060 by William the Conqueror (William of Normandy), who successfully conquered England in 1066. His son Henry I then built the Saint Georges church, a keep (1123) and a large hall for the ducal Court. The castle was constructed on a hillock and is now in the middle of the city. With an area of 5.5 hectares, it is one of the largest castles in Western Europe. It remained an essential feature of Norman strategy and policy.

Today, the castle serves as a museum that houses

• the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Caen (Museum of Fine Arts of Caen)
• the Musée de Normandie (Museum of Normandy) along with many periodical exhibitions about arts and history, in the castle residence;
• Saint George's church;
• the Échiquier de Normandie (Exchequer of Normandy), used as a temporary hall of exhibitions, which seated the Court of Normandy;
• a garden showing plants cultivated in the Middle Ages.

Time:

Fees: No fees are required to enter the castle, but fees are required for the other venues.

Recommended Ages:

	0-3
	4-11
	12-19
	20-49
	50-69
	70+

Recommended Months to Visit:

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Links: http://musee-de-normandie.caen.fr/
https://en.wikipedia.org/

Getting There

Navigate to 49.186497, -0.362672.

Location

Closest City or Region: Caen, France

Coordinates: 49.186497, -0.362672

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August 13, 2017 Trip Report

By Jeremy Dye

Trip Members

Jeremy Dye, Tara Dye, Greg Dye,

Story

We explored this old castle on our last night of our bus tour. Mom wasn't feeling well, so she went to bed early. We especially loved the drawbridge over the moat. It was double-acting so as you lifted up the drawbridge, it lowered a second door.

Pictures