Guédelon, chantier d'un château fort du XIIIe siècle

Treigny-Perreuse-Sainte-Colombe (Treigny)

At Guédelon, what one visits is not an ancient château but a château in the making. The idea came from Michel Guyot, owner of the château de Saint-Fargeau: in 1996 he conceived the plan of building a fortress using the techniques and materials of the 13th century. The foundation stone was laid on 20 June 1997. The story of the site has it begin in 1228, and completion was not announced before 2025 (old information, to be verified). The plans were drawn by Jacques Moulin, chief architect of historic monuments. The château follows the so-called “Philippian” style, named after Philip Augustus: quadrangular plan, a cylindrical tower at each corner, two towers at the entrance. The workers use medieval units of measurement and the stone comes from a neighbouring ferruginous sandstone quarry. Among the anecdotes reported: the southern corner towers, first planned as square, were changed to cylindrical towers to respect this style; two great treadwheels served as winches; several firings were needed to validate the tile kiln. A scientific committee checks the choices against the archives and excavations: the site serves as experimental archaeology.

Getting there: At Treigny, in the Puisaye (Yonne), some thirty kilometres south-west of Auxerre; outside the strict Loire basin. Opening dates and conditions not verified. Coordinates: Nominatim (OpenStreetMap).

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

Ambient sound