Château de Culan

Culan

Standing on its promontory above the gorges of the Arnon, the château of Culan guards the southern march of the Berry. A first wooden fortress preceded the stone castle, besieged and destroyed in 1188 by Philip Augustus; the present building, rebuilt from the 12th to the 15th century and then remodelled in the Renaissance, preserves a rare set of wooden hoardings at the top of its towers, galleries from which stones and missiles were hurled down on the attacker. It was the home of Louis de Culant (1360–1444), Admiral of France. Tradition, born in 1817 from the pen of a scholar, has it that Joan of Arc stayed at the château in the winter of 1429: the historian Émile Chénon refuted it point by point in 1919, showing that no contemporary chronicler says a word about it, but the legend had already taken hold, going on to feed ghost stories attached to the Maid between the 19th century and the 1980s. In 1651, during the Fronde, Mazarin's royal troops besieged the town and destroyed the 15th-century ramparts. George Sand, a neighbour from Nohant, was among the illustrious guests of the place. Registered as a historic monument in the early 20th century, the château was listed for its walls and roofs in 1956.

Getting there : Village of Culan, south of the Cher; spectacular view from the bridge over the Arnon; château reported closed to visitors since 2021, exterior and village freely accessible — check before visiting

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound