Gœulzin Castle

Gœulzin Castle, locally known as Château de Gœulzin  lies in the village of the same name, in the Nord department in France.

Gœulzin Castle was first mentioned in 1310. It had been rebuilt out of sandstone by Enguerrand de Gœulzin after an earlier castle at this site had been burned down by Philip IV of France. The castle depended on the Lord of Oisy.

In 1521 the village and castle were burned down. This left the castle severely damaged but it was rebuilt in 1576. Only to be burned down again in 1582.

Later Gœulzin Castle passed to the Counts of Bucquoy. They rebuilt the castle in the early 17th century in red bricks and white stones, on the moated sandstone foundations of the earlier medieval castle. Later the seigniory fell to the family of Pronville who yielded it in the middle of the 18th century to Pierre Taffin, attorney general of the Provincial Council of Hainaut and administrator of the coal mines of Anzin. The Taffin family kept the castle until the end of the 19th century and during their ownership carried out several works modernizing the castle, making it more comfortable.

Between 1908 and 1912 the castle was home to the Mayor of Gœulzin. During World War I Gœulzin Castle was occupied by German troops. They plundered the castle and left it in ruins. It was never rebuilt. The present private owners carried out some consolidation works.

At present Gœulzin Castle is part of a private residence and can not be visited, although I found some old info online that the ruin was sometimes the venue for cultural events. A nice castle ruin.

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