Each summer, the Château de Langeais, revives one of its traditions: the maneuver of its Pont-Levis, one of the few still in operation in France. More symbolic than defensive, this work is now used as a setting for a demonstration for visitors.
“Resident of the good city of Langeais, me, weapons captain of Langeais castle, I inform you that we have to raise the bridge.”
Anyone who appears a castle inevitably sees a bridge, which is working by hand by a counterweight system.
You need energy. As you have to shoot the chain, it’s true that we are two, because all alone is not possible. Suddenly, you really have to pull very hard, and afterwards, you lock so that it does not move.
“And at the moment when it goes down, it’s much simpler, because there, really, there is all the weight of the bottom which goes down on its own. You have to hold it a little so that it does not smash on the ground. So no, it’s okay, it’s a bit physical, but it’s okay,” explains Adonis Brunet, actor.
It is one of the rare lever bridges still in operation in France. An impressive maneuver for visitors, who can attend this demonstration every summer. “I imagined it was a maneuver that would take longer, and in fact, it’s fine.” “It’s very impressive. In the event of an attack, it had to be very fast.”
Before lifting the bridge, a development is essential by Adonis Burnet: “That there is no panic movement, the castle is not threatened. It is simply an exercise in the guard.”
In reality, there has never been an invasion and for good reason: the castle was not planned for the defense, its bridge neither.
“At the time, it was for the opening and closing of the castle, but as a military opener, he did not really serve. Louis XI had the castle built, but not for military reasons. It was more to show his importance and his authority, because in Langeais, he did not fear any particularly” attacks ” explains Amélie Delaunay, mediator of the Château de Langeais.
Built between 1465 and 1469 on the orders of King Louis XI, the Château de Langeais is an essential in the Loire Valley. He then replaced a medieval fortress from the 10th century, of which there remains today an imposing dungeon, a vestige of the feudal era. Inside, visitors can discover furnished rooms evoking daily life in the 15th century, as well as the reconstruction of historical marriage between Charles VIII and Anne de Bretagne in 1491.
The animation of the Pont-Levis takes place all summer, from Wednesday to Sunday, at 12:15 pm, offering the curious a living dive in history.
