Fougères Castle stands in Fougères, in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany, France. It is built on a rock rising from a swamp, and a loop of the Nançon river serves as a natural moat. The castle has thirteen towers and three enclosures.
The outer enclosure was defensive. The second was used for daily life in peacetime and sheltered nearby residents during sieges, and the inner one protected the keep. The House of Amboise built the first wooden fort in the 11th century. King Henry II of England captured and destroyed it in 1166, and Raoul II, Baron de Fougères, rebuilt it right away.
French troops retook the castle in 1488 after a siege, and it lost its military role. The town of Fougères now owns it, and it is described as one of Europe's largest medieval fortresses.
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