Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie de Morlaix

The construction by the inhabitants of Morlaix

Born from a collective will of protection against the English threat, the castle was built in 1542 on the small, rocky island of Taureau, on the initiative of the inhabitants and shopkeepers of the city of Morlaix.  From 1544, this first fort welcomes a governor and a 30 men garrison.  Under the reign of Louis XIV, tensions are exacerbated between France and England and Morlaix looses its main trading partner.

The reconstruction by Vauban

Within this context of conflicts, the Château du Taureau occupies a strategic position. Louis XIV then decides to take the fort under his responsibility and to have it refurbished by Vauban.  The purpose being to solidify the building to be able to resist the enemy.  The works will last for 45 years, beginning with Vauban but completed after his death by Garangeau and then Frézier.  The building becomes considerably bigger.  From that point, the fort shelters soldiers and officers' accommodation, two dungeons, a dining hall, a kitchen, a chapel and 11 blockhouses, each capable of holding a cannon.

A prison outside standards

In 1721, the castle is diverted from its calling of defence to become a prison.  Most of the prisoners are Breton aristocrats imprisoned under the order of the King by "orders bearing the sovereign's seal", often at the request of families concerned about avoiding dishonour.  At the time of the French revolution, around 1790, the profile of prisoners changes.  Most of the people held in the castle are revolutionary prisoners, arrested for political or religious reasons.  Then, the fort is gradually emptied out of its unfortunate 'guests'. In 1871, the famous communard, Louis Auguste Blanqui, is the last one to stay there. He is locked into a disciplinary room, and twenty five men and a warship are in charge of its surveillance.  A stay under difficult conditions which nevertheless allows him to write his book entitled L'éternité par les astres. "What I am writing at this moment in a dungeon of the fort of the Taureau, I wrote it and I shall write it for eternity..."
 
A secondary residence and then, a sailing school

Disarmed in 1890, the château du Taureau will seek its new calling throughout the 20th century.  First of all, it catches the eye of Mélanie Lévèque de Vilmorin, widow of the famous seedsman. The rich heiress convinces the State, well cluttered by such a costly inheritance, to rent her the site which becomes her secondary home and where she will organise luxurious receptions from 1930 until 1937, date of her death.

Occupied by the German anti-aircraft defence during World War II, the Château du Taureau waits until 1960 to recover a civilian use. It is then the "Association du Centre Nautique de la Baie of Morlaix" which is authorized to set up a sailing school there.  At its peak, the school supervises 250 youngsters.  At that time, the activity and the reputation of the school compete with those of Glénan.  But in 1980 the school can no longer bear the maintenance costs of the castle and closes its doors.

The revival

Once again neglected, the monument quickly deteriorates.  From 1989, public opinion and local collectivities rally around the mayor of Plouézoc'h, the municipality to which the Château du Taureau belongs. Grouped in an association in 1994, nine municipalities of the Bay play a major part in the revival of a project for the building, which Morlaix Chamber of Commerce and Industry commits to bear. In 1996, 17 million Francs are allocated by the State to take on a restoration programme.  To hasten the implementation of this restorationMorlaix CCI becomes, in 1998,  the contracting authority for the project of a dock construction.

Under the aegis of a steering committee, where local governments and State representatives notably sit, and of a scientific council which consists of historians and specialized researchers, Morlaix CCI develops a cultural and touristic project for the opening to the public and, in 2004, receives from the State the delegation as a public utility to run the monument.  In 2006, the restoration and planning work end simultaneously: the castle is finally ready to be opened to the curiosity of its admirers. Straight away, local SMEs put a lot into future development projects of the site by their acts of patronage within the "Carré des mécènes du château du Taureau" (sponsors of the château du Taureau).