Noyers-sur-Serein

Noyers lies in a tight bend of the Serein, walled on the open side, and sixteen towers survive of the original defences along with two gates. Inside, the streets kept an unusual concentration of half-timbered houses from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, some with carved corner posts, and arcaded squares where markets were held; the Place de l'Hotel de Ville and the Place du Marche-au-Ble are both galleried. The ruined castle stands on the hill above and can be reached on foot. A museum in an old townhouse shows naive art, which is a slightly unexpected collection for a village of four hundred people.

History

Legend credits Noyers' founding to a Gallic king or to a contemporary of Caesar named Lucidorius, who called it Lucida. From the 12th century it was the seat of the Miles family, and at the end of that century Hugues de Noyers, Bishop of Auxerre, built one of the most famous castles in France, which withstood a siege by the troops of Blanche of Navarre in 1217. In 1419 Noyers passed to the dukes of Burgundy; in the Wars of Religion the Prince of Condé made it a Huguenot refuge until Catherine de Medici forced the garrison to surrender, and Henry IV had the castle dismantled in 1599. The town lived on wine and grain, with vines, walnut and cherry trees on the hills around (in 1861 it had 128 winegrowers), and on 7 December 1983 Duran Duran filmed a music video inside its walls (Wikipedia, Noyers, Yonne).

What you'll find

• The sixteen towers - surviving defences around the river loop.
• The arcaded squares - galleried market places in the centre.
• The timber-framed houses - carved posts and overhanging storeys.
• The castle ruin - a hilltop climb above the village.

When to go

April to October; the museum and shops reduce in winter when the village is close to empty. Summer weekends bring visitors but it never becomes crowded.

Good to know

There are few facilities and little open outside the season. The castle is a genuine ruin with a steep path. Public transport is essentially absent.

Nearby

Chablis lies northwest; Avallon and the Morvan are south.

Key facts