We haven't had a photo thread for a while, so I thought I'd try castles. If you have a favorite French castle photo, please add it to the thread!
We discovered the Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg late in the afternoon on a cold, gloomy November day when we were driving around the Vosges mountains in Alsace sometime in the late 80s. We must have been traveling sans guidebook because I remember we turned off the main road when we saw a little sign with a castle silhouette just to see what it was.
The location is spectacular, on a high hill with a wide view of the valley below. The castle was deserted except for a caretaker, who unlocked doors for us and let us explore freely.
This isn't a very "French" castle, built by Germans and only claimed by the French after World War I, but it was fascinating just the same.
Excuse the photo, taken long before digital cameras.
This is a tough one - but after much thought, I'm going with Peyrepertuse in the Corbières (SW France). I'm kind of partial to castles that are in ruins, though well-preserved. And this one is perched on what feels like a razor edge of rock 800 meters above the valley floor below. It's blows the mind just thinking about the effort it must have taken to construct...
Another one, with not nearly so dramatic setting as either Haut-Koenigsberg or Peyrepetuse, but very impressive in its own way, is the Forteresse de Salses. It is in the south-west of France near Perpignan on the Mediterranean coast and not very far from Peyrepetuse
It dates from the 16th century and is unusual for having been built after the middle ages but before the great age of fortification by Vauban in the 17th century. Its huge dusty courtyard surrounded by massive red brick walls has quite a southern feel to it.
Posts: 566 | Location: West Sussex, England | Registered: 08 February 2007
I like Palluau-sur-Indre, south of Saint-Aignan and east of Châteauroux. It's not really in the Loire Valley, but it's close.
I'm not sure many people are aware of its existence, but it was the home town of the famous Frontenac, who was a governor of Québec Province and for whom the big hotel in Québec City is named.
Kevin, that is a fabulous photo of Peyrepertuse. Where were you standing to get that picture? We never made it up to the top, where the castle is (we just didn't have the time or energy on the day we were in the area), but here is a picture from way down in the valley.
There are kind of two sections to the castle. The first part you get to when you walk up is what you are looking at in my photo. Then you can continue to a much higher section, with a tower you can climb. the photo was taken from that tower looking down. If you go to this page Peyrepertuse photos nad click on some of the aerial shots, you can see what I am talking about.
Bird -
Don't know how we missed that one. Will check it out next time !
Ken -
That's a nice shot. Incredibly detailed. You must have some serious pixel action going on...
I'm enjoying the links to the websites for more information about these sites. Google led me to Ken's blog entries about Palluau-sur-Indre with many more photos.
There once existed in Cathar country… above the town of Vicdessos, near the little village of Olbier…at the top of the southern valley of the Y-shaped kingdom of ancient Sabarthez, at the head of the valley of the River Sos…the majestic Castle of Montrealp de Sos…reputedly the largest of all Châteaux in “France”…now bearing the legend that it had been the Grail Castle… and where below it in the heart of the mountains near la Grotte de Lombrives…the last of the Albigensian Cathari were starved to death in darkness in their very unusual underground tunnels leading to the structure.…and the Castle was destroyed several years later by Richelieu upon his discovery of it…however the small “chapel” below the foundation ruins of the château was not totally destroyed and does have some crosses on the wall…
(Click on the lower right of the photos to enlarge)
Here's another one near the Loire - Fougères. It's a more authentically medieval castle, less a renaissnace palace, than most of the Loire chateaux, but well maintained and/or restored. Here it is in its lovely village setting late on an autumn afternoon.
Posts: 566 | Location: West Sussex, England | Registered: 08 February 2007
Thanks, Ken! Your great photo of the castle at Palluau has allowed us to identify two of our mystery photos. (We remembered the general area we were in when we took the photos, but we thought we had passed Palluau by then.) It's pretty impressive--why is it not better known? We keep being surprised by backroads chateaux that appear with no warning, no fanfare. Maybe we should pay more attention to Michelin.
Just the other night we were looking at the map of that area because of a controversial bequest in a town nearby, Pellevoisin. Did anybody see this in the Guardian?
Chabichou, thanks for the article about Pellevoisin. Did you know that the writer Georges Bernanos is buried there? He wrote Le Journal d'un Curé de Campagne, a classic.
Here's another château near Pellevoisin and Palluau: it's Le Mée.
Those are wonderful photos of Chateau-Gaillard ... far better than mine.
Chateau-Gaillard has particular historical interest for us English. It was built by Richard the Lionheart as a border fortress guarding his territory (at that time the English king ruled most of what is now western France) from the king of France. His builders used the latest techniques picked up crusading in the middle-east and it was considered to be the finest castle of the age. The sad part of the tale (form an English perspective) is that Richard was scarcely in his grave before the French took the castle (and much of his territory.)
We first visited many years ago in February and were very taken by the island in the Seine which you see as you look down towards Les Andelys. On the island is a house which looks as if it has come straight out of a fairy tale (the Seven Dwarfs' house perhaps). And the ground was covered with snowdrop flowers ... they are just visible as a sort of frosting in this photo.
Posts: 566 | Location: West Sussex, England | Registered: 08 February 2007
I've enjoyed seeing these photos of castles in other parts of France-- so many different styles! This definitely makes me want to see more of France.
We liked Beynac castle in the Dordogne very much-- it seemed everything a castle should be, towering over the village with a great view over the Dordogne River.
Let me post one more. It's not in the Loire Valley (surprise!), but in the Lot. It's the château de Bonaguil, near the town of Fumel. I was there in 1995, and you could climb all around in and under the castle.
