Château de L'Échelle

L'Échelle, France

Château de L'Échelle origins are unknown. A first castle at this site was probably founded in the 13th century. In the 15th century a band of Armagnacs, outlawed supporters of Charles, Duke of Orléans, during the Hundred Years' War, settled in L'Echelle Castle and ravaged the area.

In 1594, Antoine de La Marche des Contes became Lord of L'Echelle by his marriage to Anne de Maucourt. Antoine, Governor of Sedan between 1599 and 1640, rebuilt L'Echelle Castle and gave it its present appearance. In 1642 Spanish troops plundered the village and attacked the castle. The castle walls still bear traces of this attack.

In 1730 the castle was acquired by the Chapter of Reims and transformed into a farm. During the French Revolution it was confiscated and sold as Bien Nationaux to a local hatter, Simon Pottier. He ceded the castle to the local community. The castle then became the town hall, a school and lodging for the head teacher.

At present L'Echelle Castle is still property of the village and houses a small local history museum.

References:

Comments

Your name



Address

L'Échelle, France
See all sites in L'Échelle

Details

Founded: 13th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in France
Historical period: Late Capetians (France)

More Information

www.castles.nl

Rating

4.2/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Linda Coffart (6 months ago)
Hello, I went there with my children to visit the museum of THE SCHOOL OF YESTERDAY and it has much more to young and old. We didn't have time to visit the castle but still had a look. I'm thinking of going on a little expedition to the castle soon.
Raphael Graziani (10 months ago)
Pretty little village, too bad there is no motorhome parking area because we would have gladly stayed for the night. Very beautiful castle and go see the wash house. The museum should just display the opening hours because we would have liked to do so.
Aymeric Staniewiez (10 months ago)
Superb castle in a pretty little Ardennes village...
Denis Hodister (10 months ago)
It houses the museum of the school of yesterday. Open on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month from May 1
The_Tigrou 0824 (4 years ago)
The castle and very beautiful, but the village and not maintained and the cemetery is a shame
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

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.