Striding up and down the alleys lined with ancient houses of varied styles while visiting one of the fortified rocks is like setting foot in the middle of  feudal Brittany. They are generally set in remarkable sites, steep massifs and rocky outcrops, supplying natural defenses. Using the  reliefs is particularly effective on the coast, because the sea and the cliffs are natural obstacles against any attacking troops. 

At the origin of these fortified rocks, you'd frequently find a  feudal mound, which is a “castle” built of wattle and daub and set upon an artificially raised mound of earth. These mounds are actually a consequence of the advent of feudalism. They symbolize the lord's influence on his territory. Only a few of the feudal mounds are still visible these days,  because of natural erosion and human intervention. Transfered onto  headlands in the XIIIth century, some of them  became, surrounded by their market towns, the so-called “fortified rocks”. Some of them set up in  lower regions often lost their military role to the profit of administrative or commercial functions. 

Some towns, like Châtelaudren, Jugon-les-Lacs or Malestroit worked out a clever fortification system using water, to compensate for the lack of natural defenses. Many of them have watch-tower houses. Guardians of the memory of several centuries of history and high places of breton identity, some are listed as Cités d'Art en Bretagne for the outstanding wealth of their heritage, others are acknowledged as “Villes d'Art et d'Histoire” by the Ministry  for the Arts, or else distinguished by the label of  “Petites Cités de Caractère”.