Tour Zizim de Bourganeuf

Bourganeuf

Bourganeuf owes everything to the Order of Saint John: the knights were established there from the 12th century and the small town was the head of the "venerable Langue d'Auvergne" until 1750, when the seat was moved to Lyon. That is what explains the strangest episode in its history. In 1481, on the death of Mehmed II, his younger son Djem disputed the throne with his brother Bayezid, failed, and took refuge with the Hospitallers; the grand master Pierre d'Aubusson received him at Rhodes on 30 July 1482, then had him brought over to France, where his person was worth to the order a pension from the sultan and a trump card in the negotiations of all Christendom. To keep him, the grand master's nephew, Guy de Blanchefort, had raised at Bourganeuf, from 1483 to 1486, a round tower of seven vaulted storeys, with walls 2.80 metres thick and latrines at every level: a comfortable prison, and one without a way out. The prince, whom the French called Zizim, stayed there from 1486 to 1488, before being handed over to the papacy. He never went back to the East.

Wikipédia — Tour Zizim ↗

Getting there : In the centre of Bourganeuf, 50 km south-west of Guéret by the D 941. The tower can be visited in season, through the tourist office installed at the foot of the building, which keeps its hours; the spiral stair serves the seven levels. The exterior, the neighbouring church of Saint-Jean and the enclosure of the castle can be seen freely all year.

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

Ambient sound