Pirou Castle

Pirou, France

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Pirou Castle in Pirou, France, is a medieval fortress originally built in the 12th century on a Viking site to defend a strategic harbor and the Cotentin Peninsula.

The castle is surrounded by a moat and accessed through five fortified gates, with a stone bridge replacing the original drawbridge in the 17th century. The site includes several historic buildings such as an 18th-century bakery, a cider press, Saint Laurent’s chapel with a 15th-century altar, and the Salle des Plaids, which once served as a justice hall and now houses the Pirou tapestry.

This tapestry, inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry, vividly narrates the Viking landings in Cotentin and the Norman conquest of southern Italy. The castle remained intact through the French Revolution but fell into disrepair until restoration began in the late 20th century. It is now privately owned and open for visitors, offering a well-preserved glimpse into medieval military architecture and Norman history, with impressive ramparts and buildings that reveal its evolution over centuries.

The lords of Pirou were historically significant, with ties to William the Conqueror and enduring ownership until the French Revolution.​