Château d'Hardelot, Condette, France

Building located at Condette, the castle of Hardelot is a manor house remodeled in the 19th century in the neo Tudor style, on foundations from the first half of the 13th century.

The first castle at this site was built in the 12th century by the Counts of Boulogne. The curtain walls date back to that time. The present castle was built by Philip I, Count of Boulogne and son of Philip II of France, in 1222. He also built Boulogne-sur-Mer Castle to a rather similiar plan; a more or less circular castle with projecting circular towers but no keep.

In 1848 Hardelot Castle was bought by the Englishman Sir John Hare. He rebuilt one of the best remaining towers into a Tudor-style mansion. Large receptions were given here and the writer Charles Dickens, a friend of Hare, often visited the castle.

Located on the edge of the regional nature reserve of the Condette marsh, near the forest and the dunes of Ecault, it now houses the Cultural Center of the Entente Cordiale, managed by the Department of Pas-de-Calais. The rooms of the castle are fully furnished and retrace the tumultuous relations between France and Great Britain.

User Reviews

Alessandro Balocco (2 years ago)
Very nice and quaint place. We had a brief coffee stop at the cafe at the entrance and then we visited both the castle, the gardens and we had a walk around to nearby lake. The Castle is small but the rooms are pleasantly decorated. It is a great way to spend a couple of hours within the castle and its surroundings. I would definitely recommend this.

Norbert Fekete (2 years ago)
When we were visiting the castle there was a funny theater repetition in the court. Otherwise the sphere of the region with cosy vacation homes and impressive villas felt uplifting to me and the green surrounding with many birds singing was also cheerful. This Neotudor castle is in good state.

Dominik Schweizer (2 years ago)
Without having any historical infos, the castle is pretty to look at and so is the garden. The surrounding area with nice houses is also quite interesting. Like all rich people decided to live next to a castle.

Marc Lappin (2 years ago)
Wow! what a place. We enjoyed a lunch during our visit here. Very much worth a visit.

Ludwig (2 years ago)
Been here a few times now. Enjoyed every visit. Lovely castle and surrounding natural park/ wetland that invites birdwatchers. The castle will be illuminated around Christmas time and there is a theater (haven't visited yet) as well.

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Monte d'Accoddi

Monte d"Accoddi is a Neolithic archaeological site in northern Sardinia, located in the territory of Sassari. The site consists of a massive raised stone platform thought to have been an altar. It was constructed by the Ozieri culture or earlier, with the oldest parts dated to around 4,000–3,650 BC.

The site was discovered in 1954 in a field owned by the Segni family. No chambers or entrances to the mound have been found, leading to the presumption it was an altar, a temple or a step pyramid. It may have also served an observational function, as its square plan is coordinated with the cardinal points of the compass.

The initial Ozieri structure was abandoned or destroyed around 3000 BC, with traces of fire found in the archeological evidence. Around 2800 BC the remains of the original structure were completely covered with a layered mixture of earth and stone, and large blocks of limestone were then applied to establish a second platform, truncated by a step pyramid (36 m × 29 m, about 10 m in height), accessible by means of a second ramp, 42 m long, built over the older one. This second temple resembles contemporary Mesopotamian ziggurats, and is attributed to the Abealzu-Filigosa culture.

Archeological excavations from the chalcolithic Abealzu-Filigosa layers indicate the Monte d"Accoddi was used for animal sacrifice, with the remains of sheep, cattle, and swine recovered in near equal proportions. It is among the earliest known sacrificial sites in Western Europe.

The site appears to have been abandoned again around 1800 BC, at the onset of the Nuragic age.

The monument was partially reconstructed during the 1980s. It is open to the public and accessible by the old route of SS131 highway, near the hamlet of Ottava. It is 14,9 km from Sassari and 45 km from Alghero. There is no public transportation to the site. The opening times vary throughout the year.

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