CHÂTEAUX 2020 THE GUIDE
From left: What a view from the mighty Château de Joux; a serene summer scene at Château de l’Islette
Choulot. Explore the castle and grounds for yourself, join a guided tour or visit on a balmy summer night for the chance to discover Hautefort by moonlight and meet none other than Catherine de Hautefort – stepping right out of the pages of history to welcome you to her home!
www.chateau-hautefort.com
Château de Joux (Haut-Doubs) This brooding fortress in the Jura Mountains looks like a Lord of the Rings backdrop, looming high and mighty over the Cluse de Pontarlier and surrounded by jutting cliffs and forests. Just shy of 1,000 years old, the Château de Joux was built to defend important trade routes through the valley, although it wasn’t always a stronghold. During the 18th and 19th centuries it served as a bleak state prison, its most famous inhabitant being the revolutionary Toussaint Louverture, who tragically died
behind bars here. Today, visitors can follow a guided tour en français (brush up before you go!), lasting over an hour, of the fort’s main points of interest – from the courtyard to the dungeon. Get ready to learn about the fate of Joux’s many hapless prisoners.
www.chateaudejoux.com
Château de la Hunaudaye (Côtes-d’Armor)
This medieval fortress sits in a tranquil corner of northern Brittany. As with most castles built in the Middle Ages, it was created to defend – in this case, the eastern border of the Penthièvre territory. Sadly, the château was reduced to rubble in a civil war, before a heroic revival in the late 1300s, which saw the introduction of its trademark circular towers. Eventually, at the tail end of the 15th century, it became a symbol of the Tournemine family’s new-found power and status, cementing itself as a
prestigious regional landmark. Compact, easy to navigate, steeped in local history and located in the devastatingly beautiful Côtes-d’Armor département, Château de la Hunaudaye makes for a fine family outing.
www.la-hunaudaye.com/en
Château de l’Islette (Indre-et-Loire)
“Through the trees in the distance, I see the tortuous course of the Indre, and an ancient château, flanked by towers,” wrote Beaumarchais in 1769. Indeed, the first thing you’ll notice about the Château de l’Islette is its captivating beauty: the glowing white tufa limestone; flower-bedecked walkways; dancing reflections cast in the moat. But there’s more than meets the eye to this leafy oasis, for it was also once the shelter for legendary sculptors Camille Claudel and Auguste Rodin to conceal their tempestuous love affair in
around 1890. Come and discover this juicy slice of history for yourself, meander through its furnished floors, hire a boat or keep the little ones entertained with a game of dress-up. For a more leisurely visit, why not borrow some binoculars to birdwatch, or picnic beside the river? Just as Claudel and Rodin may have once done in secret…
www.chateaudelislette.fr/en
Château du Champ de Bataille (Eure)
This time we head to the bucolic Eure département in Normandy for a castle with a difference. An enormous estate with a whiff of Versailles about it (there are rumours that one of Versailles’s own architects, Le Vau, dabbled in the structure here), Château du Champ de Bataille is a Baroque masterpiece boasting a staggering 90 acres of gardens and a restored interior of palatial proportions. The furniture – much of which
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