Hauts LieuxChapels, sanctuaries & legends

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Legendary castleDordogne

Château de Vaucocour

Thiviers

Dimensions
The castle formed part of the fortifications of the town of Thiviers, which it commanded. Very numerous alterations over the centuries have almost erased its medieval appearance; it is from the municipal park that the relationship between the castle and the old town defences reads best.
Period
Foundations of the 13th century; present building rebuilt in the 16th century on the ruins, much altered in the following centuries.
What stands there
Not protected as a monument historique. Private property.

Thiviers, a stronghold in the Middle Ages, takes on its identity as a town around the 11th century. The château de Vaucocour commanded its defences: its foundations are of the 13th century and it formed one body with the town wall. When the Huguenots passed through in 1575, during the Wars of Religion, the castle and the town ramparts were destroyed together. The present building was rebuilt in the 16th century on those ruins, then so often reworked that its medieval character is barely legible. It remains a private property, closed to the public, whose silhouette can be seen from the municipal park, at the very point where castle and walls once met.

Further reading

Getting there : Private property, not open to visitors; visible from outside, in particular from the municipal park of Thiviers.

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

See it on the map OpenStreetMap Directions

Ambient sound

Château de Vaucocour
Cjp24 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Nearby

In the same department

All places — Dordogne (80).