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TOWN HISTORY
Rochefort fortress, known as far as the 12th century, was constructed on a defensive site controlling a route linking North and South Brittany. Powerful families lived there until the French Revolution but the year 1793 saw the destruction of the château by the Republican Army. At the beginning of the 20th century the American painter Klots fell in love with the place and constructed a new castle step by step. Today, especially thanks to its rich historical heritage, Rochefort en Terre can be proud to be one of the visited villages in Brittany. From the 1st feudal construction to the Moulin Neuf tourist resort, the town kept spreading from NE to SW. Indeed, it is in the 12th century that the "Roche Forte" appears with the construction on the rocky spur of a fortress, a new village and a fortified Romanesque church dedicated to Notre Dame de la Tronchaye. This protection keeps increasing with the evolution of military techniques: dungeon replaced at the end of the 13th century by a real fortress made of schist, reinforced later by granite to resist military attacks. In 1374, the Rochefort family marries the Rieux family and takes more and more importance in the Duchy. In 1118, the 1st known Lord was Abbon of Rochefort. In the Middle Ages, a feudal construction overlooks a small village situated next to a ford, near the Gueuzon river. This small village called "Vieux Bourg" would be the original settling of the city. Three fortified doors are constructed in the 17th century: the Cadre door on the West, the Etang door on the South and Saint Michel door on the East (but this former was destroyed in 1853). According to its defensive function and its geographical settling, the city does not exceed its mediaeval limits. Only the main roads change : there are 1st orientated N/S and then E/W with the attraction of Vannes, Redon and Malansac quarries. In 1488 and 1594, the château is destroyed twice because of the great fame of the Rochefort Lords. In 1658, François Exupère de Larlan who is Chairman of the Parliament of Brittany buys and restores the château in the 17th century style with big gardens and parks, which erases the military aspects of the town and restrains its development towards West. After the château was captured by the Royalists (scene which is represented on a Alexandre Bloch’s painting in the château museum), the château is once again desmolished by the Republican army in 1793. At the same time, the city keeps developing thanks to the textile industry, wood, slates and trading. Tourism appears around 1900 with the Lecadre inn where painters use to meet. Among these formers, the American painter Alfred Klots buys the remains of the château in 1907 and reconstructs it step by step. Nowadays, thanks to its geographical situation, its famous gastronomy, its craftsmen, its rich architectural patrimony and its flowers, Rochefort en Terre is a tourist destination and one of the most visited city in Brittany. |