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:
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Everyone s watching the Perseids
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Humming along
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National Find a Rainbow Day
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National Museum of African American History and Culture
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Chilling out in the Arctic
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Black History Month
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National Park Week: Guadalupe Mountains National Park
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Sandhill cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge
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White Sands National Park turns 90
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Cloughoughter Castle, County Cavan, Ireland
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A wild and scenic scene
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An island oasis in the Indian Ocean
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Bright and colorful peacock feathers
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Pearl of the Adriatic
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Seven Magic Mountains art installation, Jean Dry Lake, Nevada
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When an ideal microclimate gives you lemons…
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Flock online for the Great Backyard Bird Count
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Yellow-eyed penguins, Moeraki, New Zealand
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A Welsh wonder turns 70
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Cherry blossoms in Shanghai, China
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Bask in the glow—It s World Turtle Day
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Too awesome to be a planet
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Star Wars Day
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75th anniversary of the Spruce Goose
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Shhh, the movie is about to start
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Time to count some birds
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A triumph of light
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National Park Service anniversary
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Take the stairs
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It’s Napping Day