It does not impose as much as the “castle Ward” of Northern Ireland than the series Game Of Thrones had renamed “Winterfell” for its eight epic seasons. Property of the Stark family, the imposing building nevertheless fed the imagination of those responsible for Enigma Parc to design their new attraction. Located in Janzé, a few kilometers from Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine), this indoor amusement park is inaugurating its brand new course this weekend with a reconstruction of a castle from the Middle Ages. Baptized “Throne of Breizh”, it offers to revisit the history of Brittany through puzzles and labyrinths. A major project that will have taken three years and that the leisure structure did not set up alone. Supported by the regional tourism committee, the idea is to “consolidate the historical and cultural heritage on the theme of medieval adventure”. With the desire to make it a real engine of tourist development for the country of Rennes.
If it is far from the betrayals, sleepovers and kingdom wars of the cult series, the Breton version offers a dive into the history of the Marches of Brittany. This territory located east of Rennes has long formed the border between France and Brittany. “The history of our region is complex but it should not be limited to a war zone. This attraction, we saw it as a way to attract the public to history by approaching it in a playful way, ”says Christiane Grosbois, the director of Enigna Parc. Through riddles and traps, the “Throne of Breizh” paints an express portrait of 1,000 years of medieval history, from the end of the reign of Clovis in 511 to the battle of Saint-Aubin-du-Cormier in 1488, which had sounded the death knell for Breton independence. Inspired by the adventures of Daenerys Targaryen, the attraction features a dragon that is supposed to guard the fortress.
Under-exploited potential
The tourist site of Janzé which reopens its doors this Saturday, January 28 will not be the only one to look into this part of regional history. With Enigma Parc, the castles of Vitré, Fougères and Châteaugiron or the Duguesclin Tower in Grand-Fougeray deploy a common theme around the Middle Ages. In total, twelve sites in Ille-et-Vilaine want to make the land of Rennes a medieval destination to increase the notoriety of this destination called “Rennes and the gates of Brittany”.
The objective is to create a tourist route in the departement. “The potential represented by the medieval theme for the tourist development of the territory is not fully exploited”, believe local tourism professionals. An application of geocaching will be activated on April 8 to offer a digital treasure hunt common to the twelve sites at the start of the spring holidays.