Château de Bridiers, Medieval castle ruins in La Souterraine, France

Château de Bridiers is a ruined medieval fortress whose most visible element is a tall round keep of irregular grey and brown stone blocks, pierced by small rectangular openings. A straight flight of light-grey steps leads up to a dark arched doorway flanked by low, uneven stone walls. Excavation has uncovered the pentagonal structures of the castle, and a medieval garden lies a few metres from the tower.

Built from the late 12th century by the viscounts of Aubusson, the castle stood at a crossroads of the Gaulish Lyon–Saintes road and the Roman Bordeaux–Bourges road. Henry II of England besieged and took it in 1177, and in 1356 the band of the Captal de Buch, allied with the English, seized it. The tower and remains were classified as monuments historiques on 24 September 1968.

Each year the site hosts the "Fresque historique de Bridiers", a large show of more than 25 tableaux combining light effects, giant images, music and pyrotechnics, with over 500 volunteers and actors, more than 2,500 costumes from Prehistory to 1945 and sets on the scale of the castle, for about 2,000 seated spectators. On 14 July it also holds a pyromusical show for the national holiday, and in July and August art exhibitions are staged among the ruins.

The grounds around the ruin are freely accessible, but entry into the keep costs a small fee. Visitors should wear sturdy shoes, as paths are uneven and the tower has steep internal stairs.

Since 1999, a herd of Rove goats has helped maintain the site, grazing the grounds around the tower and the medieval garden. The garden itself was designed by Jean-Philippe Béguin with workers from the town's integration scheme, and the municipality has cared for it since 2008.