Fort-la-Latte

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Fort la Latte, also known as the Castle of the Rock Goyon, is a medieval fortress in Brittany, France. It sits on a rocky cape near Cap Fréhel, in the village of Plévenon, guarding the coast and the Bay of the Fresnay. The castle was built in the 1340s by Etienne III Gouyon, with the dungeon dating to about 1365–1370. Its location made it hard to attack and gave defenders a wide view over the English Channel and the nearby bays.

The fortress had a busy history. It was attacked in 1379 during the wars of Brittany and later during the Wars of Religion in the 16th century, after which it was abandoned for a time. In the 18th century, under Louis XIV, it was reinforced with defensive bastions. It stayed in military use until the end of the First Empire, when new warfare made it outdated. From 1892 the ownership changed hands several times until Frédéric Joüon Des Longrais bought it in 1931 and began a restoration that lasted over twenty years. The castle was declared a monument historique in 1925, and electricity reached the site in 2001.

Today Fort la Latte welcomes visitors. It features two gatehouses with drawbridges, a barbican, a courtyard with a water cistern (about 20,000 liters), a chapel, and the governor’s house. Two medieval towers remain, along with battlements, machicolations, and various arrow slits and gun loopholes. A legend on the path tells of Gargantua’s finger marked by a nearby menhir. The castle has also appeared in films and music videos, and offers striking views of the coast and the bay of Saint-Malo.