House of Rohan

The House of Rohan is a French noble family of viscounts, later dukes and princes. They come from the area called Rohan in Brittany. Their line descends from the viscounts of Porhoët. It is said to trace back to the legendary Conan Meriadoc. Through the Porhoët, the Rohan are related to the Dukes of Brittany. They also later developed ties with the French and English royal houses. They played an important role in French and European history.

Arms of the family.

In France there were generally considered to have been two individual lines, the Princes of Soubise and the Princes of Guéméné. Both had many other titles. Four Archbishops of Strasbourg were members of the family. The Princes of Rochefort descended from the Guéméné line.

Architectural legacy

The great wealth of the family allowed them to build several palaces and townhouses. They built them in cities and countries in and around Europe. Well known examples of these are:

• The "Hôtel de Soubise": the Parisian townhouse of the Prince of Soubise. The building is now the property of the French government.
• The Château des Rohan or Rohan-Schloss in Saverne, France. Built by the Cardinal de Rohan. Now a museum.
• Palais Rohan in Vienna, Austria (completed in 1864)
• The Palais Rohan in Strasbourg, Alsace (completed in 1742) built by another Archbishop of Strasbourg.