Château de Lavardens, Lavardens, France

Château de Lavardens dominates the skyline of surrounding lands. Originally built in the 12th century, it was later a residence of Counts of Armagnac. The present massive structure dates from 1620 onwards and it was built on the ruins of medieval castle (destroyed by King's soldiers in 1496).

User Reviews

Philip Highley (2 years ago)
Good restaurant. Didn't go into the chateau itself.

Paul Tulip (2 years ago)
This is a beautiful chateau They charge a fairly high price to enter and inside ??? Its a bloody shop!!!!!! Every room is set as a gallery for ' Arty' products !!! To add insult to injury the last room you are directed to is a??? Yes you guessed! A tourist shop selling rubbish unrelated to the Chateau Avoid entering just enjoy the outside

Paul Tulip (2 years ago)
This is a beautiful ancient château Outside it looks brilliant both from a distance and close up Initially thought that the 14+€ entry fee was worth while till we got inside It was a bloody shop!! All rooms had exhibits of art for sale ( not cheap) and had nothing to do with the history or story of this lovely Château At the end -- Guess what? A tourist shop selling stuff totally unrelated to the Chateau itself If I wanted to go shopping I would have gone to a big city outlet So disappointed! !!

TUDOR TEODORESCU (3 years ago)
Nice and quiet little village.

TyA Doan (3 years ago)
The emplacement is amazing. The castle is being taken care of but pretty nice. The expo are a bit ruin out.

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Angelokastro

Angelokastro is a Byzantine castle on the island of Corfu. It is located at the top of the highest peak of the island"s shoreline in the northwest coast near Palaiokastritsa and built on particularly precipitous and rocky terrain. It stands 305 m on a steep cliff above the sea and surveys the City of Corfu and the mountains of mainland Greece to the southeast and a wide area of Corfu toward the northeast and northwest.

Angelokastro is one of the most important fortified complexes of Corfu. It was an acropolis which surveyed the region all the way to the southern Adriatic and presented a formidable strategic vantage point to the occupant of the castle.

Angelokastro formed a defensive triangle with the castles of Gardiki and Kassiopi, which covered Corfu"s defences to the south, northwest and northeast.

The castle never fell, despite frequent sieges and attempts at conquering it through the centuries, and played a decisive role in defending the island against pirate incursions and during three sieges of Corfu by the Ottomans, significantly contributing to their defeat.

During invasions it helped shelter the local peasant population. The villagers also fought against the invaders playing an active role in the defence of the castle.

The exact period of the building of the castle is not known, but it has often been attributed to the reigns of Michael I Komnenos and his son Michael II Komnenos. The first documentary evidence for the fortress dates to 1272, when Giordano di San Felice took possession of it for Charles of Anjou, who had seized Corfu from Manfred, King of Sicily in 1267.

From 1387 to the end of the 16th century, Angelokastro was the official capital of Corfu and the seat of the Provveditore Generale del Levante, governor of the Ionian islands and commander of the Venetian fleet, which was stationed in Corfu.

The governor of the castle (the castellan) was normally appointed by the City council of Corfu and was chosen amongst the noblemen of the island.

Angelokastro is considered one of the most imposing architectural remains in the Ionian Islands.

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