Brèze Castle and the secrets hidden under the stones (19 photos)
When people think of medieval castles, majestic towers, high walls and moats come to mind. But the Château de Brezé in the Loire Valley is a different story. 
By European standards, it is small: it occupies less than a hectare, has the shape of the letter U and is surrounded by a dry moat. At first glance, it is an ordinary house for a provincial lord. But if you look under its foundations, you can find one of the largest underground fortresses in Europe. 
Located on the outskirts of the tiny village of Brézé, near Saumur, this castle was rebuilt in the mid-16th century by Count Artus de Mailly-Brézé. He didn't just want a fashionable Renaissance home, he wanted a safe haven that could withstand anything from Viking raids to the plague. 
Underground, right under the foundations of the castle, an entire underground universe was created: more than three kilometers of tunnels connecting spacious rooms - bedrooms, bakeries, kitchens, cellars, stables and even barns for livestock.
This was not just a shelter - it was a real underground fortress, where the family could live for months, protected from everything - from enemies to the winter cold. 
The castle itself stands on a limestone cliff, and around it is a deep moat, dug a hundred years before Artus de Mailly-Brezé. But it was he who decided to bring it to an incredible depth - 18 meters. From the very bottom of this moat begins the entrance to the dungeon.
Interestingly, the stone mined during the expansion of the moat was used to build the new castle. So we can say that the owner built his house from the very earth that protected it.
Underground life as an art 
The entrance to the underground part of the castle is located right in the wall of the moat. After passing through the tunnel, you find yourself in a world where everything is thought out to the smallest detail. There were bedrooms for the entire family and servants, bakeries where they baked bread even under siege, kitchens and cellars with food supplies, stables and places for animals, defensive holes in the walls through which archers could shoot at attackers while remaining invisible.
In fact, it was a full-fledged house inside the mountain, where you could wait out any danger.
Never used, but always ready 
The Mailli-Brezé family never tested their fortress in combat. Neither the Vikings, nor the plague, nor enemy regiments ever reached these walls. The castle was never taken, and that is why today you can admire its unique architecture.
Brezé Castle is not just an architectural monument. It is a story of fear, foresight and faith in the future. It shows the world that true strength is not always visible from the surface: sometimes it is hidden right under your feet. 
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