Chateau de Castelnaud, Dordogne

Castelnaud is an impressive castle, built between the 12th and the 16th-centuries, and now home to a museum of medieval warfare that kids simply love. The castle is built on a cliff top above the meandering Dordogne River; there some are beautiful views from the ramparts.

Many of the items on display in the museum are explained, and demonstrated in use, in a number of fascinating short videos. Original suits of armour, swords and many other weapons are on display; particularly interesting are the original and reconstructed giant crossbows, a formidable weapon that penetrates armour easily. The time consuming construction of a suit of armour “to measure” is explained, as is siege warfare and many other subjects.

Mighty “trebuchets”, enormous wooden “slingshots” used to hurl large rocks at besieged castles, are a real favourite with the kids. Videos show how these weapons transformed medieval warfare; they were the first device that could destroy the very thick stone walls of medieval castles. The scale reconstructions of trebuchets on the castle battlements give an all too realistic impression of the horrors of a medieval battle – kids love it!

The castle has many winding stairways and small chambers. It feels like something of a maze, as all good castles should. It is easy to imagine real people living in the Chateau de Castelnaud, despite being a museum the castle’s atmosphere is far from austere. Some beautiful period furniture, which evokes the life lived by the masters of the castle, is on display in the keep (“le donjon”). In contrast, the kitchens provide a vivid impression of how food was prepared during the Middle Ages by the less privileged members of the castle household; the high-ranking inhabitants of the castle enjoyed quite elaborate meals that included spicy and sweet dishes, while others made do with much simpler fare. One aspect of Medieval cookery is strikingly modern: they made full use of seasonal ingredients. Of course, cooking with seasonal ingredients today is a question of quality, flavour and ethics, whereas during the Middle Ages, there was simply no other food available.

The castle has a colourful history. It was first occupied by the Cathars who were considered heretics by the Catholic Church. The Cathars were overthrown at Castelnaud at the beginning of the 13th-century. The castle changed hands several times during the Hundred Years Wars between the English and the French – the whole area being much contested during this period.

While in the area, don’t miss the sacred cliffside village of Rocamadour, second most visited site in France.

The small medieval village of Castelnaud surrounds the castle. The authorities provides a paying car park (not included in the price of entry to the castle) a short walk from the castle. For opening times and practical details about visits to the castle visit the Official castle site.

Chateau de Castelnaud

Battle re-enactment

Trebuchets

Chateau de Castelnaud

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