Chateaux of Hauts-de-France

Château de Berzy-le-Sec

Château de Berzy-le-Sec was built in the 14th century and it was rebuilt in 1445 and again in the 16th century. The chapel dates from the 16th century. The eastern part is also well-preserved. During the World War I Berzy-le-Sec was destroyed and became a ruin. It is now owned by the local community.
Founded: 14th century | Location: Berzy-le-Sec, France

Donjon de Vez

Donjon de Vez is the keep of Vez castle built in the 14th century. The keep itself was erected between 1390-1410 by Jean de Vez. It has four floors and hosts today art exhibitions. The chapel and some ruins of original castle also remain.
Founded: 1390 | Location: Vez, France

Château de Folleville

Château de Folleville is a ruined medieval castle. It was built in the late 14th century, dominating the valley of the Noye river, by Jean II de Folleville probably on the site of an earlier castle destroyed in 1358. Archaeological excavations gave evidence of a Roman camp at this site. During the Hundred Years War, Folleville Castle was sieged several times. In 1440 it succumbed to the artillery of the famous English ...
Founded: 14th century | Location: Folleville, France

Château de Rametz

Château de Rametz was built in the 18th century to the grounds of former 14th century castle. The originally square form castle has four round corner towers and it is surrounded by the moat. Today it is a private home.
Founded: 18th century | Location: Saint-Waast, France

Château de Montmorency

The Château de Montmorency is a former castle in the commune of Montigny-en-Ostrevent. Today, it comprises a farm, a restaurant and an equestrian centre. The castle on this site probably dates from before 1150. Around 1130, Robert I, named Montigny, built a stone tower on a motte created on marshy, wooded land. Its defences were strengthened over time. In the 13th century, the construction of an entrance between tw ...
Founded: c. 1130 | Location: Montigny-en-Ostrevent, France

Château de Mont-l'Évêque

To thank him for his role in the Battle of Bouvines in 1214, King Philippe Auguste offered the site of Montleroy to Chancellor Guérin, bishop of Senlis. Half of the land was sold to build the Abbey of Victory and on the rest was built a residence for the Bishops called Mont-l’Évêque. The Bishop set up his summer residence in the old fortified house on the banks of the Nonette River. Over the centuries, the cast ...
Founded: 16th century | Location: Mont-l'Évêque, France

Château d'Esnes

Château d'Esnes was built originally in 1007 by Alard Esnes. Today's castle dates mainly from the 15th and 18th centuries. The original medieval castle was surrounded by a moat. Since the French Revolution, the castle served as farm building. It was also a German prison for Russian soldiers during the First World War.
Founded: 1007 | Location: Esnes, France

Château de Regnière-Écluse

Château de Regnière-Écluse was built originally around 1030 and it has been in the hands of same family since then. In the 19th century the castle and garden were altered to the current neogothic appearance. The oldest part dates from the late 16th century.  
Founded: c. 1030 | Location: Regnière-Écluse, France

Château d'Audignies

Château d"Audignies was probably built by Guillaume de Sars who lived in 1370-1438. The castle was rebuilt with two-storey tower in the early 17th century. Today the castle consists of three wings arranged in square and surrounded by a moat. A coat of arms of lords Du Mont dominates the entrance of the drawbridge.
Founded: 15th century | Location: Audignies, France

Château de Varlemont

Château de Varlemont in Barly was built between 1782-1784 by Vindicien Blin. Due the Great Revolution it was abandoned and moved to the hands of Arras bishop in 1812-1818. Later it was left to decay until the bought by Jacques d"Antin Vaillac in 1970. Today Château de Varlemont represents the pure Louis XVI style.
Founded: 1782-1784 | Location: Barly, France

Château de Créminil

Château de Créminil was built in 1443 by La May family to the site of older fortification (destroyed by English Army). In 1540 Créminil was owned by Hugues de Buleux (advisor to the regent of the Netherlands and grand bailiff of Aire). After the castle was burned in 1543 it was rebuilt in the 17th century. In 1670 it was owned by Antoine de Wignacourt and from 1687 till the Revolution by the Merchiers family. Until 19 ...
Founded: 1443 | Location: Estrée-Blanche, France

Château de Tramecourt

The construction of the Château de Tramecourt started in 1615 by the Tramecourt family to the site of medieval castle. It was transformed into a mansion in 1740. The work continued since 1848.
Founded: 1615 | Location: Tramecourt, France

Château de Montataire

The Château de Montataire is a 12th-century castle in the commune of Montataire. The castle was constructed in the 12th century by Count Renaud II de Clermont (c. 1074 – c. 1154). It comprises a right-angled corps de logis flanked by four round towers of different diameters. The building was subject to several alterations up to the 19th century. The grounds now contain several buildings but are not accessi ...
Founded: 12th century | Location: Montataire, France

Château de Boves

Château de Boves was built on a hill near Boves in the late 14th century. There was originally a motte-and-bailey castle. The castle was demolished in 1595 and used as a quarry, today only two walls exist.
Founded: 14th century | Location: Boves, France

Château de la Tour

Château de la Tour was rebuilt around 1455 by Jacques de Rambures. It was burned down in 1554 and rebuilt in 1627 to the current form.
Founded: 15th century | Location: Dompierre-sur-Authie, France

Château de la Motte Fénelon

Château de la Motte Fénelon was designed in 1850 by the famous Parisian architect Jacques Ignace Hittorff. It was built for Alphonse Brabant de Leau (1818-1881) and called first Château de Morenchies according the former commune near Cambrai. In 1962 it was bought by the Maison Familiale group. The castle was renamed in 1975 after its new owner families. During the both World Wars the château was ...
Founded: 1850 | Location: Cambrai, France

Château de Nesles

Château de Nesles was built in the 13th century. The square form ruined castle has six towers and external keep (donjon).
Founded: 13th century | Location: Seringes-et-Nesles, France

Château de Lucheux

Lucheux Castle was built in 1120 by Hugh II, Count of Saint-Pol who used techniques taken back from the crusades he had been on. Situated on the border of Artois and Picardy it was one of the most important strongholds in the region. It continued to grow during the Middle Ages. Count Guy III of Saint-Pol altered the castle with four corner towers, hall and chapel in 1275. The castle was attacked by English army during Hun ...
Founded: 1120 | Location: Lucheux, France

Château de Trélon

Château de Trélon originates from the 11th century, when it was owned by the d"Avesnes family. In 1478 the castle was besieged by John of Luxembourg. It has been damaged, burned and rebuilt serveral times during the history. The current castle was built in the early 1700s.
Founded: 12th century | Location: Trélon, France

Château de Grand-Rullecourt

The fortified Flemish castle château de Grand-Rullecourt with its towers and crow’s-foot gables overlooks the road from Avesnes-le-Comte to Lucheux. The lords of Rullecourt were the generous donors of land to the Abbey of Mont-St-Eloi. Joan of Arc passed there as a prisoner in 1430. Antoine-Constant de Hamel started to build the new castle in 1746. After the French Revolution, the chateau was sold as a nation ...
Founded: 1746 | Location: Grand-Rullecourt, France

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Spisskà Kapitula

Spišskà Kapitula, a unique fortified ecclesiastical ensemble, began as a small fortified settlement overlooking Spišské Podhradie in the 12th century. It was the site of the residence of the Provost of the castle, in the no longer extant St Martin"s monastery, and later became a capitulary. This was destroyed in by Tatars in 1241-1243, but the pilgrim"s chapel, in rotunda form and dedicated to the Virgin, survived until the 18th century and the monastery until the 15th century.

The complex of buildings there is based on the Cathedral of St Martin, where building began in 1285 as a three-aisled Romanesque basilica with a chancel at the west end and a double spire. It owes its present form to successive remodellings and additions in the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles.

The Provost's residence was completed in 1281 and further religious buildings were added. Frequent raids by marauding Bulgars and others led to its being fortified in the 14th century. The cathedral was rebuilt in the later 14th century. In 1776 it became the residence of the Bishop and four years later a seminary was established. In 1819 the first teacher training centre in Hungary was founded there.

The Bishop's Palace is largely Baroque, with some excellent interior decorations, like many of the religious buildings in the group. The oval ground plan of the centre of the town is due to its having been fortified in the 14th century. The various religious buildings had defensive functions in this early period. New monastery buildings were erected when the provost"s residence was rebuilt and the whole area fortified. The earlier central fortifications were removed in the 18th century.

Spišské Kapitula is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site Levoča, Spiš Castle and the associated cultural monuments.