Do you know the Fort du Hâ, also called the Château du Hâ? Today we tell you a few secrets about this old building, whose remains still grace our Bordeaux. One of its secrets involves a tower called the Witches' Tower, but before we get there, we need to talk about this incredible fort.
An old fortress
On the current site of the Bordeaux Palais de Justice and the École nationale de la magistrature stood the Château du Hâ. The first stone of this building was laid under the reign of Charles VII in 1456.
Originally, this castle housed part of the royal troops making up the Bordeaux garrison and had to hold off invaders… whoever they were! That is why the castle was designed to remain impregnable: walls 4.40 m thick, wide moats (some more than 20 m wide), 5 defensive towers and a quadrilateral shape ensuring a good view all around… A setup to scare off anyone's resolve to seize this stronghold.
This defensive structure therefore had to withstand everything, including time.
Where does this name come from?
You have to look to Gascon (not Lagaffe) for the origin of this name. The word « Hâ » comes from « Far » (meaning lighthouse or watchpost). Etymologically these words don't have much in common, but it is more a matter of pronunciation, since « f » back then was pronounced « h » and « r » was often aspirated. Through use and habit, we dropped the Château du Far for the Château du Hâ.
A building that has had many lives
Residence of Charles de Valois, quarters for a military garrison, royal residence under the Duke of Guyenne, refuge for Protestants during Saint Bartholomew's Day, a civil prison then a state prison (guillotine executions took place in the fort's courtyard), political prison during the Second World War, and in the 1970s the Hâ prison became the École Nationale de la Magistrature of Bordeaux.
The most recent modification of this incredible building took place in 1998 to create the Tribunal de Grande Instance of Bordeaux.
And what is this famous Witches' Tower?
This tower is also called Tour du Peugue or Tour des Anglais… I have even read Devil's Tower. It was nicknamed this way because it was in this tower that people were locked up and caged (put in a cage… not exactly a kind treatment).
The conditions of detention were so appalling that everyone dreaded staying there… even for just a brief moment of life.
