About 25 miles southwest of Rouen, on the way to Paris, the ruins of Château Gaillard still stand over the Seine River. King Richard I commissioned the castle in 1196, when England occupied portions of modern-day France. The English and French fought for control of the castle for roughly 400 years—a span including the Hundred Years War—before Henry IV of France ordered it demolished. Today, the outer walls—called baileys—are open to the public year-round, while the inner baileys are open during summer months.
A silent witness to history
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
Winterpret on ice
-
Silbury Hill for International Archaeology Day
-
National Take a Hike Day
-
Waimea Canyon and Waipoo Falls, Kauai, Hawaii
-
A towering view of the Pale Mountains
-
Talk like a pirate—or walk the plank
-
An island oasis in the Indian Ocean
-
Royal Alcázar of Seville, Spain
-
An oceanic valentine
-
Trunks stick together
-
Red Planet Day
-
Lavender fields in Plateau de Valensole, France
-
Banggai cardinalfish with sea anemone
-
Maybe we should be looking up
-
National Bison Day
-
Birthplace of Roman emperors
-
Longtailed widowbird at Rietvlei Nature Reserve, South Africa
-
Patriot Day
-
River otters at Acadia National Park, Maine
-
Fall color sweeps across the West
-
Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act marks 42 years
-
Menton, France
-
Jerte Valley in bloom
-
Indian Independence Day
-
International Day of Friendship
-
A theatrical dream
-
Nomads of the Gobi
-
Hen Galan
-
Guanahacabibes National Park, Cuba
-
New Zealand s loneliest mountain
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

