A 13th-century castle being built today, by hand, with the tools and materials of the Middle Ages.
€450one way from Beaune with a private driver
Private driver from Beaune: 2 h by road (184 km), €450 one way for the whole car.
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In a forest of the Puisaye, about forty craftspeople are building a castle as it would have been built in the 13th century. They quarry the stone on site, cut timber, make lime and forge tools by hand. Visitors walk around the working site and watch the builders at work.
You follow a path around the castle and its workshops. Quarrymen split the sandstone, stonecutters shape the blocks, masons raise the walls, and carpenters build scaffolding and roof frames. Around them, woodcutters, blacksmiths, tile makers, rope makers and carters work at their crafts with period tools. Everything is made from the stone, wood and earth of the site. The builders explain their methods as they go, and the castle changes a little every season.
The idea came from Michel Guyot, owner and restorer of the Château de Saint-Fargeau nearby, and Maryline Martin, who became director of the project. They chose an old quarry of iron-rich sandstone in the forest of Guédelon, close to wood, clay and water, as medieval builders would have done. A scientific committee of castle experts backs the project, and the plans were drawn by Jacques Moulin, chief architect of historic monuments.
The first stone was laid on 20 June 1997. The castle follows the model of the time of Philip Augustus, with six round towers linked by curtain walls and a walkway around a perimeter of about 150 metres. Work advances as it would have done in the Middle Ages, solving problems one by one. The site has become a centre of experimental archaeology as well as a place to visit.
Checked on on the official site.
Guédelon is about 2 hours 30 minutes from Beaune, so plan a long day, perhaps combined with Vézelay or Auxerre. Allow at least half a day on site. Much of the visit is outdoors on forest paths, so wear sturdy shoes. The site is open from early April to early November, closed on some Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and tickets can be booked online.
Guédelon Castle is about 2 h from Beaune by road (184 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €450 for the whole car, up to 4 guests.
Did you know? The castle needs about 30,000 tonnes of sandstone, extracted mainly from the quarry at the foot of its own walls, just as medieval builders would have done.
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€450 one way from Beaune · up to 4 guests
