La Cassine Castle

La Cassine Castle, locally known as Château de la Cassine, lies in the hamlet of the same name, in the Ardennes department in France.

La Cassine Castle was built in 1571 by Louis Gonzaga, Duke of Nevers, and his wife Henriette of Cleves. It was visited by Henry IV of France, Louis XIV and Cardinal Mazarin before it was damaged by fire in 1697. It was later restored.

In 1820 it was bought by an ironmaster, Jean-Nicolas Gendarme. Later in the 19th century it was rebuilt by his heirs, the Camion family. Through them it later passed to Cunin-Gridaine family.

In 1927 La Cassine Castle was destroyed by a fire and remained a ruin ever since.

The castle was an elongated rectangular mansion and its ruins are now used as the backdrop of a yearly open-air theater. When I visited it seemed as if consolidation works were being carried out.

La Cassine Castle can not freely be visited but only as a paying guest of the theater. A very nice ruin.

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