Chateaux of Gironde

Château Deganne

Located in the heart of the seaside resort of Arcachon in Gironde, Château Deganne is an impressive mansion from the mid-19th century built by Adalbert Deganne then future mayor. Neo-Renaissance style, it takes place on the edges of the beach and hosted in its time the greatest of this world. Sold at the beginning of the 20th century on the death of its illustrious owner, Château Deganne is then transformed into a C ...
Founded: 1853 | Location: Arcachon, France

Château des Rudel

Château des Rudel was built in the 12th century and is now ruins. It is located inside the Vauban citadel of Blaye. It is a relic of the medieval era preserved during the construction of the citadel of Blaye in the 17th century. The chateau was besieged by Protestants during the French Wars or Religion in the 16th century.  
Founded: 12th century | Location: Blaye, France

Château de Cadillac

Château de Cadillac is located at 35 km from the city of Bordeaux, it overlooks the Garonne river and the walled town of Cadillac. The monument was built at the request of Jean-Louis de Nogaret de la Valette (1554-1642), first Duke of Épernon, its primary function was to house the Dukes of Épernon. The castle thus embodies the all-powerful duke, who amasses wealth and honors before he died in disgrace during the reign ...
Founded: 1598-1634 | Location: Cadillac, France

Château de Tardes

The Château de Tardes was built between the 13th and 14th centuries as a medieval stronghold, but was converted in the 16th century to a Renaissance-style mansion, with the addition of mullions and a troubadour-style hexagonal tower with a spiral staircase. The building is not open to the public.
Founded: 13th century | Location: Saint-Macaire, France

Château de Roquetaillade

The Château de Roquetaillade in Mazères was originally built by Charlemagne on his way tho the Pyrenees. In 1306, with the permission of the English King Edward I, Cardinal de la Mothe, nephew of Pope Clement V built the second fortress (le Château Neuf). This new castle was square in plan with six towers and a central keep. The entire structure was restored and transformed by Viollet-le-Duc and one of his pupils, Du ...
Founded: 1306 | Location: Mazères, France

Château de La Brède

The Château de La Brède is a feudal castle in the commune of La Brède. The castle was built in the Gothic style starting in 1306, on the site of an earlier castle. It is surrounded by water-filled moats and an English garden, in the centre of a Bordelais vineyard. Despite modifications over the centuries, it has kept its character as a fortress. The philosopher Montesquieu was born, lived and wrote the ma ...
Founded: 1306 | Location: La Brède, France

Château Pichon

Château Pichon Longueville Baron is a winery in the Pauillac appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. Château Pichon Longueville Baron is also the name of the red wine produced by this property. The wine produced here was classified as one of fifteen Deuxièmes Crus (Second Growths) in the original Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855. Château Pichon Baron was once part of a larger estate, owned by Pie ...
Founded: 1881 | Location: Parempuyre, France

Château de Cazeneuve

The Château de Cazeneuve was built along the gorges of the River Ciron and the stream of Honburens. The early castle was the former residence of the Kings of Navarre, the property of King Henry IV. It was built by Amanieu VII d"Albret on a rocky bank. It included in its enclosure the medieval mound of the 11th century preceded by a vast courtyard whose curtain walls protected the town. Due to financial problems K ...
Founded: 11th century | Location: Préchac, France

Château Margaux

Château Margaux estate has been occupied since at least the 12th century, with the site occupied by a fortified castle known as Lamothe or La Mothe (from motte, a small rise in the land), and wine under names such as 'Margou' and 'Margous' was known in the 15th century, but it was with the arrival of the Lestonnac family in the 16th century that wine production became of particular importance, and in ...
Founded: 1810-1815 | Location: Margaux-Cantenac, France

Château de Rauzan

Château de Rauzan was erected in the 13th century by John, King of England. It then became the property of Rudel of Bergerac (1223–1320), then of Guillaume-Raymond of Madaillan (1320–1391) who fought at the side of the Black Prince, governor of Guyenne of 1356 to 1370, at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356 and at the imprisonment of the King of France, John II ('John the Good'). In October 1370, Bertrand of Gu ...
Founded: 13th century | Location: Rauzan, France

Château d'Agassac

According to a local tradition, a Latin inscription found in the underground galleries of the Château D"Agassac dates its construction back to the 13th century. But the first of its known lords was Guillaume-Raymond d"Agassac in 1172, Lord of Blanquefort. Since 1238, the Gaillard de Gassac Family is owner of the seigniory of Agassac which extends more than 800 hectares. Its lord is vassal of king of England, E ...
Founded: 13th century | Location: Ludon-Médoc, France

Château de La Rivière

Château de La Rivière was built in 1572 to the site of medieval castle. It was completed in 1577 by l"Isle family. 
Founded: 1572 | Location: La Rivière, France

Château de Lormont

Built around 1060, the Château de Lormont probably saw Eleanor of Aquitaine stay here during her marriage to King Louis VII of France. The Prince of Aquitaine, also known as the Black Prince lived there. The archbishops of Bordeaux possessed the château in the 14th century. In 1453, negotiations to end the Hundred Years War also took place there. After having been successively destroyed and rebuilt, notably in 1626 by a ...
Founded: c. 1060 | Location: Bordeaux, France

Château des Quat'Sos

The Château des Quat"Sos name is of Gascon origin, describing the identical appearance of the four corner towers, the 'Four Sisters'. The castle is located on the promontory overlooking the confluence of the Garonne and the tributary Charros. In 1224, permission was granted by King Louis VIII of France to build a castle. The castle was completed by King Henry III of England, while Duke of Aquitaine, t ...
Founded: 13th century | Location: La Réole, France

Château de Villandraut

The Château de Villandraut was built by Bertrand de Goth when he was elected Pope under the name of Clement V. Born in Villandraut, he maintained throughout his life a special affection for his region of origin. This sumptuous castle was destined to serve as his residence during his stays in Aquitaine. Château de Villandraut was constructed between years 1305 and 1312. After the death of Clement V in 1314, the castle r ...
Founded: 1305-1312 | Location: Villandraut, France

Château de Budos

The Château de Budos is largely the work of Raymond Guilhem de Budos, nephew of Pope Clement V. Originally built by his uncle, he remodelled it from 1306, the old family castle taking on the architectural layout of the neighbouring castle, the Château de Villandraut. In 1422-23, the English king Henry VI took possession of the castle and put it in the charge of Pons, lord of Castillon. Around 1433, Henry conceded the ...
Founded: 1306 | Location: Budos, France

Château Lescombes

The medieval Château Lescombes was destroyed in the Hundred Years" War and again inthe 17th century. The current chateau is built to the foundations in the 17th century. There are four corner towers.
Founded: 17th century | Location: Eysines, France

Château de Vayres

The Château de Vayres is a medieval castle, located on the banks of the Dordogne River. Excavations found pottery ovens, indicating that the site had a large population in Gallo-Roman times, and that there was a wooden fort on the site, and later a Gallo-Roman oppidum, or fortress. The castle was built in the 11th century to protect the city of Bordeaux. It was made of stone and surrounded by a wooden palisade, as a ...
Founded: 11th century | Location: Vayres, France

Château Lafite Rothschild

Situated in the wine-producing village of Pauillac, the estate was the property of Gombaud de Lafite in 1234. In the 17th century, the property was purchased by the Ségur family, including the 16th century manor house that still stands. Although vines almost certainly already existed on the site, around 1680, Jacques de Ségur planted the majority of the vineyard. In the early 18th century, Nicolas-Alexandre, marquis de ...
Founded: 16th century | Location: Pauillac, France

Château de Langoiran

Château de Langoiran was built in the 13th century by the Escoussans family, one of the most famous families of Gascony. The donjon (fortified central tower) is one of the largest in France. It overlooks the Garonne Valley and offers a good view for visitors. The castle of Langoiran was owned successively by the families of Escoussans, Albret (from 1345 to 1378), and Montferrand (from 1378 to 1590). Bertrand III de Mon ...
Founded: 13th century | Location: Langoiran, France

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Château de Foix

The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.

In 1034, the castle became capital of the County of Foix and played a decisive role in medieval military history. During the two following centuries, the castle was home to Counts with shining personalities who became the soul of the Occitan resistance during the crusade against the Albigensians. The county became a privileged refuge for persecuted Cathars.

The castle, often besieged (notably by Simon de Montfort in 1211 and 1212), resisted assault and was only taken once, in 1486, thanks to treachery during the war between two branches of the Foix family.

From the 14th century, the Counts of Foix spent less and less time in the uncomfortable castle, preferring the Governors' Palace. From 1479, the Counts of Foix became Kings of Navarre and the last of them, made Henri IV of France, annexed his Pyrrenean lands to France.

As seat of the Governor of the Foix region from the 15th century, the castle continued to ensure the defence of the area, notably during the Wars of Religion. Alone of all the castles in the region, it was exempted from the destruction orders of Richelieu (1632-1638).

Until the Revolution, the fortress remained a garrison. Its life was brightened with grand receptions for its governors, including the Count of Tréville, captain of musketeers under Louis XIII and Marshal Philippe Henri de Ségur, one of Louis XVI's ministers. The Round Tower, built in the 15th century, is the most recent, the two square towers having been built before the 11th century. They served as a political and civil prison for four centuries until 1862.

Since 1930, the castle has housed the collections of the Ariège départemental museum. Sections on prehistory, Gallo-Roman and mediaeval archaeology tell the history of Ariège from ancient times. Currently, the museum is rearranging exhibits to concentrate on the history of the castle site so as to recreate the life of Foix at the time of the Counts.