Josselin Castle, Medieval castle and toy museum in Josselin, France.
Josselin Castle is a medieval fortress in the Breton town of Josselin, set above the Oust River and combining a richly decorated granite Renaissance facade with three round towers. The rear of the building is plain and solid, while the riverside face is covered in detailed stone carvings.
The fortress was founded around 1008 and remained in the hands of the Rohan family, one of the most powerful Breton noble families, for nearly ten centuries. A major restoration in the 19th century gave the building much of the appearance it has today.
The castle holds a collection of dolls and toys from different periods, showing how childhood and play have changed over time. Walking through these rooms gives a concrete sense of what children from earlier generations used in daily life.
The castle can be viewed from outside along the riverbank or from the opposite bank, where the facade stands out best. The interior with the museum is open most days of the year, though visiting outside school holiday periods makes for a calmer experience.
The castle gardens include a section designed in the English style by landscape architect Achille Duchene, who also worked on gardens at Blenheim Palace in England. This part of the grounds feels very different from the solid stone walls of the fortress just beside it.
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