The castle's south wing

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The two almond shaped towers at the entrance of the small castle were built before the great construction programme, which took place in the 1500s. They are the oldest part of the castle’s south wing. In the beginning, they were on either side of a simple Gothic arch, in front of a portcullis and a drawbridge. In the 16th century, a wall was added on, between the two towers, to form the small castle with its carriage and pedestrian doors.

Two residences surround the castle, flanked by the Forville tower to the East, and the Prison tower to the west. Each tower had its own winding stairway. Another winding stairway can be found at the back of the small castle.

The entire south wall is crowned with a rampart walkway upon machicolations, which had both defensive and decorative purposes.   The sculpted lintels form a trilobed and curvy frieze. The walkway’s parapet is pierced with arrow and canon loops, as well as square windows.

The building was greatly transformed in the late 19th century. Many casement windows were added on to the south side. Southern walls did not usually have such systematic openings. The windows and doors on the ground floor were also added on, in the late 19th century. The roof and walkway were modified as well.

On the north side, old casement windows were preserved, and sculpted elements from the castle’s noble parts were later integrated to the façade.

The inside of the castle, its kitchens and bakery on the ground floor and dwellings on the first floor became stables, transformed by the National stud farm, in the second half of the 18th century. In the middle of the 19th century, the stables were replaced by the director’s residence.

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Stud farm and castle tour

The castle's south wing

The south wing is the only part of the castle that subsists today. It is presented in this video, with its covered pathway, its front entrance « châtelet » (small castle), its two circular towers and its indoors.

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