History
The fortress of the Grimaldi family
Originally, the castle built around 1300 by Rainier Grimaldi, Lord of Cagnes and Amiral of France, was only used as a fortress of supervision and defence in case of outsider attacks.
In 1620 the Baron Jean-Henri Grimaldi transformed the fortress as a seigniorial wealthy but comfortable domain.
Since 1937 the castle as been acquired by the city in order to transform it as a municipal museum. Following those events in 1948, the castle has been classified as a Historical Monument where temporary exhibition of contemporary art, collections of the olive tree museum are displayed and added to the permanent exhibition.
Originally, the castle built around 1300 by Rainier Grimaldi, Lord of Cagnes and Amiral of France, was only used as a fortress of supervision and defence in case of outsider attacks.
In 1620 the Baron Jean-Henri Grimaldi transformed the fortress as a seigniorial wealthy but comfortable domain.
Since 1937 the castle as been acquired by the city in order to transform it as a municipal museum. Following those events in 1948, the castle has been classified as a Historical Monument where temporary exhibition of contemporary art, collections of the olive tree museum are displayed and added to the permanent exhibition.
What remains of the walls
With its strategic position on the top of the hill, the medieval village lead to a beautiful view on the « Baie des Anges », « Cap Ferrat » or « Cap d'Antibes ».
The cracks in the walls of the castle testify of the historical past of this place people were covetous of. The river Var situated nearby was indeed a source of conflicts from 1388 to 1860 as it represented the limits between the French Land and what is now the Italian land.
The citizens used to reuse the crumbling walls as materials to build their own houses around the castles' battlements.
It is in those old battlements that they started creating hollows for the windows and then integrated the old walls to their new houses.
