Chateau de Castelnaud

Castelnaud sits on a spur above the meeting of the Dordogne and the Ceou, directly opposite Beynac, and the two changed hands repeatedly during the Hundred Years War with Castelnaud usually on the English side. Restored from a ruin from 1969, it now houses a museum of medieval warfare: crossbows, armour, polearms and reconstructions of trebuchets and mangonels, some full size on the terrace and demonstrated in season. The collection is one of the better ones on the subject in France and the explanation is practical, covering how weapons were used and what they could actually do rather than displaying them as ornaments.

History

The castle first appears in documents of the 13th century, during the Albigensian Crusade, when its Cathar castellan was Bernard de Casnac: Simon de Montfort took it and installed a garrison, and Bernard later retook it. In the Hundred Years' War its lords owed allegiance to the Plantagenets, while the lords of Beynac across the river held for the king of France. Afterwards it was gradually abandoned, and by the French Revolution it was a ruin (Wikipedia, Château de Castelnaud-la-Chapelle).

The main sights

• The warfare museum - armour, crossbows and siege weapon reconstructions.
• The terrace engines - full-size trebuchets facing the valley.
• The Beynac view - the rival fortress on the opposite cliff.
• The restored castle - walls, keep and courtyards rebuilt from ruin since 1969.

When to go

April to October; demonstrations of siege engines and weapons run in summer. The castle opens year-round with reduced winter hours. Evening openings run in August.

Practical notes

Much of the fabric is modern restoration. The climb from the village is steep and parking limited. Demonstrations are seasonal and mostly in French.

Nearby

Beynac faces it; Les Milandes lies downstream.

Key facts