View of the Tour de Lusignan
by ABADIE, Paul, Photo
In 1840, the town of Angoulême bought the medieval castle to house the Town Hall. The mayor, Paul Joseph Normand de la Tranchade, commissioned the architect Paul Abadie to develop the project, who dismantled a portion of the medieval buildings. The polygonal keep, called Tour de Lusignan (built 1282-1302), and the round Valois Tower (late 15th century) were preserved thanks to the pressure of the Archaeological and Historical Society of Charente.
The photo shows the Tour de Lusignan, remnant of the original castle.