Loches’ vast hilltop citadel is a small village in its own right. You can explore the gorgeous, white tufa-stone citadel, inside its protective walls, for free, except for the donjon (keep) and Logis Royal (royal apartments) which are part of a single ticket.
The 36m-high donjon , at the southern end of the promontory was Loches’ original medieval stronghold, built in the 11th century by Foulques Nerra. Though the interior floors have fallen away, architectural details remain, including remnants of fireplaces and the original chapel. Climb dizzying catwalks for fantastic views.
Next door to the donjon is the notorious Tour Ronde (Round Tower), built during the 15th century by Charles VII and Louis XI. The basement holds a circular chamber where the unfortunate Cardinal Balue was supposedly kept suspended from the ceiling in a wooden cage for betraying Louis XI. (In fact, it was more likely a grain store, although you can see a replica of the cardinal’s cage back in the donjon.) Other highlights include the chilling Salle des Questions (a torture chamber), traces of prisoners’ graffiti etched into the tower walls, and the rooftop terrace – once a platform for firing artillery, nowadays it’s a fine viewpoint.
In the adjacent courtyard, the Tour Martelet houses additional dungeons, along with a subterranean passageway bearing interesting displays about the 11th-century quarrying of tufa stone for the construction of the keep.
At the northern end of the citadel sits the Logis Royal , royal residence of Charles VII and his successors, built originally for defensive purposes but later converted to a hunting lodge and embellished in Flamboyant Gothic style. Joan of Arc famously passed through here after her victory at Orléans in May 1429 to meet with Charles VII and nudge him towards his coronation in Reims later that year.
