Châteaudun Castle

Châteaudun Castle, locally known as Château de Châteaudun, lies in the town of the same name in the Eure-et-Loir department in France.

The castle, situated on a rocky outcrop next to the Loir river, was founded around 1171 when Theobald V, Count of Blois, erected the massive circular keep, probably on the site of an earlier fortification. Châteaudun Castle remained a property of the Counts of Blois until 1391 when the last count; Guy II, sold it to Louis I, Duke of Orléans and brother of King Charles VI of France. After Louis was assassinated in 1407 it passed to his son; Charles.

Charles of Orléans donated the castle to his half-brother Jean de Dunois in 1439. Jean was a French military leader during the Hundred Years' War who participated in military campaigns with Joan of Arc. In 1459 he started to reconstruct, enlarge and embellish the castle in Gothic style. After Jean died in 1468, these works were continued by his descendants; the Dukes of Longueville, although they did this in Louis II style.

When the Longueville family died without issue in 1694, Châteaudun Castle passed to the Dukes of Luynes. The castle, half abandoned by its owners, served as a refuge for the inhabitants of Châteaudun after a fire that ravaged the town in 1723. During the French Revolution, at the end of the 18th century, its chapel was ransacked and the buildings were used as barracks.

The castle was restored in 1866 by the 8th Duke of Luynes. During the Battle of Châteaudun in 1870, however, the Prussian troops damaged the castle. The French state acquired the castle in 1938 and started a restoration. It was, however, damaged again when in 1944, the bridge over the Loir exploded and the resulting shockwave and debris destabilized the upper parts of the castle.

Châteaudun Castle can be visited for a fee. This is a great castle, with lots of interior spaces to discover. I especially like the imposing keep.

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