Le Palais, Medieval palace and exhibition space in central Poitiers, France

The Palace of Poitiers is a medieval palace, not a castle, in central Poitiers. Its great hall, the Salle des Pas Perdus, measures 50 by 17 metres and has a chestnut roof built in 1862 by carpenters from La Rochelle. The walls are painted to imitate stone, and cusped arches rest on slender columns. The Maubergeon tower, a rectangular keep with four corner towers, stands on the town side.

A palace stood here by the 9th century, built for Louis the Pious over a late 3rd-century Roman wall; it burned down in 1018. William IX added the Maubergeon keep around 1104, and Eleanor of Aquitaine built the great hall between about 1160 and 1190. Jean de Berry rebuilt the fire-damaged parts from 1384 to 1416, and the building served as a courthouse from 1418 until 2019.

The Maubergeon tower displays Gothic architectural details with three levels and remnants of medieval statues you can observe while walking through. The stonework and vault shapes show the craftsmanship of the period.

The site is open to visitors and is best enjoyed in good weather when you can clearly see the stonework details. Guided tours and changing exhibitions are available if you want to explore the architecture and surroundings more deeply.

The hall's 1862 chestnut roof was built by marine carpenters from La Rochelle, replacing the original beamed ceiling. Its walls are painted to imitate stone facing, and a stone bench rings the room. The floor was once tiled with green and gold lustred maiolica by Jehan de Valence of Valencia, after which no further lustred tin-glazed faience was made in France.