Josselin

Josselin stands above the River Oust in the heart of Brittany, dominated by the castle of the Rohan family. Great towers face the river, while an elaborately carved residence looks into the courtyard. Jean II de Rohan built the surviving residence between 1495 and 1506, incorporating older towers and turning the fortress into a house worthy of his family's rank.

The Rohans' Protestant faith and opposition to royal policy brought their strongholds under pressure in the seventeenth century. In 1629 the great medieval keep at Josselin was demolished on royal orders, although the Renaissance residence and the three river-facing towers survived the demolition. The castle's remaining buildings preserve the contrast between its medieval defensive strength and the refined architecture of the Rohan court.