Tour Guillaume

Loches is one of the great fortified sites of the Loire valley, and the Cité Royale, the royal city on the hill, holds the oldest and most impressive part of it. The complex of keep, towers and royal lodging on the hill is the main sight. The fortress stands on a rocky spur above the river Indre, and the walls enclose a small town of narrow lanes, a collegiate church and the royal buildings.

The keep, or donjon, is the oldest element and one of the best preserved Romanesque keeps in France. It was built in the early eleventh century on the orders of Foulques Nerra, Count of Anjou, a ruthless and ambitious warlord who built a string of stone fortresses to control his lands. The tower is rectangular and rises to a great height, strengthened by thick buttresses, and its mass is still intimidating. Climbing through its floors shows the thickness of the walls, narrow stairs and the remains of rooms and fireplaces. For centuries the keep was a key to the control of Touraine. King Philip Augustus captured it from the English in 1205 after a siege, bringing it into the royal domain.

Later kings added their own towers and used part of the fortress as a prison. The Martelet and the Tour Ronde, built in the fifteenth century under Louis XI, held state prisoners in dark cells, and the graffiti carved by captives can still be seen. The Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, was imprisoned at Loches and died there in 1508. Underground passages and dungeons add to the sombre atmosphere of this part of the visit.

The contrast with the Logis Royal is striking. This elegant residence of the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, partly Gothic and partly Renaissance, served Charles VII and later Anne of Brittany, who had a small oratory decorated with embroidered ermine tails, her emblem. In 1429, Joan of Arc came here to urge Charles to go to Reims for his coronation, and the tomb of Agnès Sorel, the king's favourite, is kept in the lodging. The terraces provide wide views over the roofs of the town and the Indre valley.

The Château de Loches, the Église Saint-Ours, the Musée du Vieux Loches and the Rue des Écrivains are within a short walk, and the Marché de Loches fills the lower town on market days.

Allow two or three hours. It suits history lovers, families with older children and photographers. Steps are steep, so wear good shoes, and check seasonal hours and prices before you go.