Château de Castelnaud

Castelnaud-la-Chapelle

Castelnaud holds the left bank of the Dordogne facing Beynac. Bernard de Casnac, vassal of the count of Toulouse, was its master at the beginning of the 13th century; Simon de Montfort seized it in 1214 and the archbishop of Bordeaux burnt it in 1215. Rebuilt between 1259 and 1261, it became one of the chief powers of the Périgord. Having passed to the Caumont family through the marriage of Magne de Castelnaud to Nompar de Caumont, it changed sides several times during the Hundred Years' War, until the siege ordered by Charles VII in 1442: after three weeks, the English garrison surrendered in exchange for four hundred gold écus. The Caumont family gradually abandoned it from 1489 for the Milandes, which were more comfortable. Sold as national property, it served as a stone quarry before being raised again from 1965.

Getting there : Open to visitors, online ticketing, tavern and shop on site. Telephone 05 53 31 30 00, email chateau@castelnaud.com.

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

Ambient sound