Château de Durtal

Durtal Castle is located in the town of Durtal in the Maine-et-Loire department in the Pays de la Loire region of France.

The first castle complex at this strategically favorable location on the edge of the Loire Valley was built by Fulk Nerra at the beginning of the 11th century. Its purpose was to protect the city of Angers. Today's castle is the result of several renovations and extensions carried out between the 15th and 17th centuries. The castle complex underwent extensive renewal in the 16th century when the town received significant impetus from the rise of the lord of the castle, François de Scépeaux, to Marshal of France, and became the seat of a county from 1564. During this time, the French high nobility, including Henry II, Charles IX, and Catherine de' Medici, met at Durtal Castle.

The east wing of the stately building, erected in the 15th century, is flanked by round towers with machicolations and conical roofs. The tallest tower, the keep, has five floors and offers a view of the Loire Valley. In the 16th-century south wing, above the river, is the Renaissance gallery adorned with paintings. The large Schomberg Pavilion is in the 17th-century French Classical style; its lines are emphasized by bands, rope ornamentation, and rustication.