To spot the Tour wearer at the Prévost, look for a mighty stone gate rising above the cobbled street, with two round towers flanking a strong central archway-its weathered walls stand tall right beside the pale townhouses on rue du Guesclin.
Now, let’s imagine you’re standing here nearly a thousand years ago, as knights patrol the ramparts and townsfolk shuffle nervously by. This impressive gate, the Tour du Prévôt, is one of just two main entrances guarding the town of Thouars-a city that, back in the 1100s, was always on the lookout for invaders aiming to stroll in uninvited! Don’t let its sleepy modern look fool you; this fortress was built for drama. First came a sturdy square tower to block out trouble, and a century later, those English-inspired round towers popped up like a medieval fashion statement. With murder holes, thick arrow slits, hefty drawbridges, and even secret trapdoors above (for dropping things far less pleasant than confetti on attackers), getting in wasn’t exactly a walk in the park.
If you’d been here on a chilly November day in 1372, you’d have watched the forces of Bertrand du Guesclin-famous for his battle skills and maybe his questionable haircuts-march straight through this gate, seizing the city for the French king while the defenders, loyal to England, scrambled for cover. No one’s sure if Bertrand himself showed up, but his fame certainly did. Over the years, after the cannons quieted, the old tower switched jobs: prison, shop storage, and, at its lowest point, the unlucky neighbor whose missing roof led to more leaks than a medieval bathhouse. Still, fate had a twist or two left. Declared a historic monument in 1889, it was patched and propped up in the 1960s and now, while its stone heart is closed to visitors, it stands tall as a reminder that every city gate has a tale-or two thousand-hidden in its shadows.
