--- title: "Château de Cruzille: History from the League to 1944" description: "Stormed by League troops in 1589, it was the Resistance headquarters for Saône-et-Loire in 1944, with a Liberation tribunal. Private, by private driver." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-cruzille lang: en updated: 2026-09-29 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/chateaux/chateau-de-cruzille.png --- # Château de Cruzille > Château de Cruzille: a fortress on a spur above Cruzille, marked by the Wars of Religion and the Liberation of 1944. Château de Cruzille is in Cruzille (Saône-et-Loire), 1 h by road (75 km) from Beaune. Private, seen from outside · 14th century · Private driver from Beaune: €210 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. The château of Cruzille rises on a spur above its village, between Tournus and Cluny. Round towers once named the Tower of Burgundy, the Dovecote Tower and the Archives Tower recall a turbulent past. Today the château is private and is not open to visitors. ## Key facts - Type: Medieval fortress - Location: 60 km south of Beaune · Mâconnais - Coordinates: 46.5047, 4.7929 - 1 h from Beaune - Private, seen from outside - 14th century - Commune: Cruzille · Saône-et-Loire - Style: Medieval fortress - Heritage: Registered historic monument - From Beaune: ≈ 1 h · 75 km - €210 one way from Beaune with a [private driver](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver) - Or add it to our [full-day wine tour plus two hours, €700](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/full-day). ## Getting there - [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 1 h by road (75 km), €210 one way for the whole car. Coming by train or plane? [Transfers from stations and airports](https://www.cote-privee.com/transfers) Estimates per vehicle for up to 4 guests, tolls included. Your price is confirmed when you book. ## History A castle and fortified house at Cruzille are mentioned in 1262, and the Nanton family held the lordship in the 14th and 15th centuries. It later passed to the Bauffremont lords of Sennecey, and in 1583 it was raised to a county for Georges de Bauffremont. During the Wars of Religion it changed hands several times, and in 1589 League troops stormed it and killed its fifty defenders. In the 17th century the La Baume-Montrevel family restored the château and built its terraces. On 29 July 1789, during the Great Fear, a band of rioters broke into the empty building and damaged it. In the summer of 1944 it became the headquarters of the Armée secrète for Saône-et-Loire, and a Resistance tribunal sat here during the Liberation. From 1949 it housed establishments caring for children. ## Architecture The original castle was a quadrilateral with round towers at the corners, once crowned with battlements. The west wing and a south-west tower probably disappeared in the fighting of the late 16th century. The east wing survives between two round towers, one resting on a sloping base. The north wing, though much altered, keeps a fine stone staircase with straight flights and a round-arched gateway. ## Visiting The château is private and is not open to visitors, so please respect the site. An avenue of lime trees once led straight to the village church, which still has the lords' chapel. Cruzille lies among the vineyards between Tournus and Cluny, close to Brancion and the Romanesque church of Chapaize. ## Did you know? In the summer of 1944 the château was the headquarters of the Resistance for Saône-et-Loire, and a Liberation tribunal examined nearly 300 cases within its walls. ## Around Château de Cruzille What to combine with Château de Cruzille on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Viré-Clessé](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/vire-clesse) (7 km away): Two neighbouring villages of the Haut-Mâconnais, joined in one appellation for generous Chardonnay. - [Montagny](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/montagny) (24 km away): A white-only appellation of hillside vineyards around Buxy, with a wealth of premiers crus. - [Pouilly-Fuissé](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/pouilly-fuisse) (25 km away): Burgundy's great southern white, grown beneath the limestone cliffs of Solutré and Vergisson. ### Châteaux - [Château de Nobles](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-nobles) (4 km away): A manor below Brancion with round towers, cannon ports and a richly carved Renaissance doorway. - [Château de Messey](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-messey) (4 km away): A fortified house near Tournus, reborn as an organic wine estate with rooms and winegrowers' cottages. - [Château de Brancion](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-brancion) (5 km away): A feudal fortress and car-free medieval village on a rocky spur between Tournus and Cluny. ### Things to do - [Cave de Lugny](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/cave-de-lugny) (3 km away): A 1927 cooperative, the leading producer of Mâcon-Villages, with a shop below the Charmes vineyard. - [Mont Saint-Romain](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/mont-saint-romain) (3 km away): A summit of almost 580 metres in the Mâconnais hills, with a rooftop viewing table facing the Alps. - [Saint-Martin Church, Chapaize (Église Saint-Martin de Chapaize)](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/eglise-saint-martin-chapaize), 7 km away: An early Romanesque priory church whose tall Lombard bell tower rises over the countryside west of Tournus. ### Restaurants - [La Marande](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/la-marande-montbellet) (8 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A family-run country house in the northern Mâconnais, starred since 2014. - [Le Raisin](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/le-raisin-pont-de-vaux) (14 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A family house in the Bresse, a short hop across the Saône from the Mâconnais vineyards. - [Aux Terrasses](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/aux-terrasses-tournus) (11 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A starred family house in Tournus, now in its second generation. ### Events - **Sunday, 18 October 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [La Tournuscimes](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/la-tournuscimes): Burgundy's biggest organised walk, on foot, by mountain bike or on horseback through the autumn Mâconnais. (Sport · Chardonnay) - **The third weekend of April, Saturday and Sunday; the 25th edition was held on 18 and 19 April 2026.** · [Printemps du Cru Viré-Clessé](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/printemps-du-vire-clesse): The whole Viré-Clessé appellation opens its cellars on the third weekend of April. (Wine festival · Viré) - **A Thursday in May, from late afternoon into the evening; in 2026 it fell on 14 May.** · [Chardonnay Day à Chardonnay](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/chardonnay-day): The world's favourite white grape is toasted in the Mâconnais village that gave it its name. (Wine festival · Chardonnay) - **Late August; in 2026 it opened on 23 August in Ozenay, then ran from 26 to 29 August in Viré and Tournus.** · [Détours en Tournugeois](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/detours-en-tournugeois): Brass bands, street theatre and village dances between Tournus and the Mâconnais vineyards at the end of summer. (Culture · Tournus) ## Questions about Château de Cruzille ### How far is Château de Cruzille from Beaune? Château de Cruzille is about 1 h from Beaune by road (75 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €210 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### Can you visit Château de Cruzille? Château de Cruzille is private and not open to visitors. You can see it from the road or the village, and your driver can stop there on the way. ### Can a private driver take us to Château de Cruzille? Yes. Your driver collects you in Beaune or at your hotel in an electric Polestar 2 (up to 4 guests), waits while you visit and plans the rest of the day with you. The driver speaks English, French, Mandarin Chinese and Arabic. → [Full-day wine tour plus two hours, €700](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/full-day) ## Book - [Book a driver here](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=driver&place=chateau:cruzille): €210 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests ## Sources - - --- Canonical page: