our press kit - Château de Castelnaud

Transcription

Editorial
From its construction to its restoration,
from its destruction to its rebirth, eight
centuries of history made Château de
Castelnaud in Périgord a protagonist in
the main wars that marked the Middle Ages. Left to abandon during the
French Revolution, it did almost fall to
ruin and yet...
©Rabouan
Director of Publication:
Patricia Fruchon
Head of Cultural Development:
[email protected]
Communication and Press Officer:
Christine van Meirhaegue - [email protected]
Editor:
Loïc Leymerégie et S.A.R.L. Kléber Rossillon pour le Château de
Castelnaud, 2015.
Photographs:
S.A.R.L. Kléber Rossillon pour le Château de Castelnaud,
unless otherwise mentioned.
Publishing:
S.A.R.L. Kléber Rossillon
2
Summary
4
Dossier
6
Overview
8
Entretien
9
Focus
11
Reportage
Castelnaud, at the crossroads of History
Chronicle of a rebirth
Kléber Rossillon, an engineering engineer
The museum of the art of war in the Middle Ages
Château de Castelnaud
24250 Castelnaud-la-Chapelle
Téléphone : +33 (0)5.53.31.30.00
Fax : +33 (0)5.53.28.94.94
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Scriptorium
Cover graphics:
© Sandrine Rabouan
15
Practical guide
Château de Castelnaud - Press Kit / magazine
A château with much to offer
Glossary, lexicon and play on word!
Get out your tablets…
And yet, there are the passionate who refuse to
accept the inevitable, the initiatives that transform
ruins into a splendid setting where ideas can flourish. The pearl that sits in that setting is a museum
of which the concept was patiently nourished over
the years.
Visitors are also encouraged to explore the different stories, for all audiences, that can be heard
and seen thanks to the many activities offered.
And in that way they are invited to let themselves
be carried away by the joys of discovery, surprise,
learning and entertainment...
While they may not be able to explore a ruin
like the hero in an adventure novel, visitors to
the Château de Castelnaud are today invited to
explore history. History with a capital H, of which
the château was more than just a witness, but a
real actor, as seen in the constantly enriched collections of the Museum of War in the Middle Ages.
The many weapons and armour exhibited here
weave a permanent link between the past and the
present, just like the events in the Living History,
which recreates within the ramparts, the life of the
soldiers in the 15th century.
Rarely does the phrase “learning while having fun”
have more meaning.
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DOSSIER
DOSSIER
Castelnaud at
the crossroads
of History
There are certain sites, as with great
men, that are remembered over the
centuries: they were at the meetingpoint of major events, they had an
appointment with History.The Château
de Castelnaud is one of them. Here is
its story.
Once upon a time… a Cathar refuge
between Heaven and Earth
We are at the beginning of the 13th century.
Bernard de Casnac is a powerful lord. As well
as this site, he owns the nearby strongholds of
Domme, Aillac and Montfort. But he is a fervent
supporter of the dualist religious beliefs of the
Cathars (also known as the Albigensians) and
treated Catholics cruelly.
In 1214, a northern baron named Simon de
Montfort is sent down to crush the Cathar
“heretics”. Told of Bernard de Casnac’s activities,
he lays siege to the Château de Castelnaud and
captures it... for a brief period. The following year,
Bernard de Casnac recaptures his property, but
the castle is finally burned down a few months
later by order of the Archbishop of Bordeaux. The
pattern had been set!
All that remains of the original château are a few
stones reddened by fire. Some were probably put
to use again in the reconstruction of the castle
which followed the disaster. Surviving from this
restoration today, perched proudly on their rocky
spur, are the square keep* and the curtain wall*.
During this period, the château was also endowed
with a barbican*, and the thick wall of the main living
quarters already loomed high over the Dordogne.
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One of the new
defence structures
developed in the
modern era was the
imposing artillery
tower, over which the
banner of Castelnaud
still floats today
©Lachaud
Threatening sky
over the curtain wall and keep
The Hundred Years War between
France and England
1337: the Hundred Years War breaks out. The castle’s sole heir is Magne de Castelnaud; through her
marriage with Nompar de Caumont, it becomes
the property of his family... who support the
English. The site is prosperous and is recognised as
one of the principal power-centres in the Périgord,
along with the Château de Beynac, its close neighbour and sworn enemy. In contrast, the Barons of
Beynac are loyal to the French crown.
The conflict actually lasts rather more than
a century. Over that period, the Château de
Castelnaud changes hands seven times. Finally,
in 1442, the French King orders a siege of the
castle, then held again by followers of the English
monarch. The Comte du Périgord, supported by
several local lords and with financial aid from the
burghers of Sarlat, retakes Castelnaud without a
shot being fired. After three weeks of siege, the
captain in charge of the castle, Pascal de Theil, has
handed over its keys in exchange for his life being
spared and a “sweetener” of 400 gold crowns. The
English leave Castelnaud for good and, 11 years
later, the Hundred Years War comes to an end with
the French victory at Castillon on July 17, 1453.
The modern era: splendour and
decay
After the war, the Caumont family regain their
property and reconstruct it. Its former feudal style
takes on a more open appearance, but with the
imperatives of defence still paramount. The bailey
is protected by a new wall with two semi-circular
towers, pierced with gun ports. Also installed is a
new barbican* and a drawbridge at its entrance.
Recent archaeological research has established
that the impressive bastion*, on the northern
side of the château, dates from this same period.
Castelnaud remains its lords’ power-centre and is
adapted to the military practices of the day – as
witness the artillery tower built in 1520.
Also in the 16th century, the Caumonts adopt the
Protestant faith. The Huguenot captain Geoffroy
de Vivans, born at the château, defended it during France’s bitter Wars of Religion (1562-98) and
fought the Catholics so ferociously that he was
feared throughout the whole region. Thanks to this
redoubtable figure, whose exploits became legendary,
nobody dared to attack the castle in all that period.
The Caumont family, therefore, remained masters
of the site. In the 17th and 18th centuries, however,
they experienced such good fortune in Society
and won so many glorious distinctions that they
neglected their old château in the Périgord, finding
it much too far from the royal court...
©Laugery
After the French Revolution in 1789, the site was
rapidly overgrown and Castelnaud became a ghost
of its former self. Worse, it was used as a stone
quarry; in 1832, when the river traffic and the
emancipation of the village of Castelnaud necessitated the construction of a slipway for its riverside
port, the builders found it easier to send blocks
of stone tumbling down from the southern part
of the castle rather than hew new stones for the
purpose.
That’s how History goes! But only for a while...
because, in 1966, the château was classed
as a Listed Building at the request of its new
owners, Philippe and Véronique Rossillon. They
bought it after hearing that some English people
wanted to acquire it (yet again!). Thus began its
renaissance.
*glossary p. 14
5
Overview
One of the rooms in the
living quarters, which
today houses part of
the collections of the
Museum of War in the
Middle Ages
Chronicle of a rebirth
“ The donkey is as you see it, said the horse dealer,
but I can tell you of a château that’s different...
Pity it’s going to be bought by an Englishman
It was this somewhat surrealist tip-off that began
the resurrection of the Château de Castelnaud.
The hint was addressed to Philippe Rossillon, who
had just come to buy a donkey in the Céou valley,
very close to Castelnaud, and who realised that the
dealer was attempting to swindle him. Nevertheless, the man’s evocation of a British future for the
château was a bait that M. Rossillon could not resist.
He replied with one word: “Never!” Then made
straight to his notary to deal with the purchase.
From that point, the Château de Castelnaud came
back to life under the impulse of its new owners.
Here is a chronological account of that renaissance.
1965 A lover of the Périgord, from which his
family originated, Philippe Rossillon - with his wife,
Véronique - buys the Château de Castelnaud.
1966 At the request of its new proprietors, the
château is classed as a Listed Building.
1974 – 1980 A first programme for restoring
the château concluded with the reconstruction of
the collapsed parts on the north side of the building, the main living quarters (of which only the walls
remained), the curtain wall* and the keep*. Some
areas of the bailey and the ditches were cleared
of their debris. This initial stage was carried out in
accordance with indications given by the vestiges
of the building itself.
1983 Kléber Rossillon, son of Philippe and Véronique, takes over management of the site and continues the work started by his parents. Two years
later, he creates the Museum of Medieval Warfare.
1996 A second phase in the restoration gets un-
der way. Directed by Philippe Oudin, chief architect
of the French nation’s Listed Buildings network, it
is the largest work-site of its type in S.W. France.
The task calls upon the best craftsmen in the Dor-
©Rabouan
dogne department, working under the attentive
eye of Gilles Séraphin, who knows the château well
as architect for the official body concerned with
preservation of the national heritage.
This stage sees the complete reconstitution
of three large rooms in the living quarters and
another in the keep*. The artillery tower is raised
by a storey and, in its upper part, a lintel weighing
600kg is reinstalled. A wide-ranging terrace now
gives a view over the entire valley, bringing home
the castle’s strategic importance. All that now
remains to be restored is the bastion*...
The mangonel,
reconstructed in 2005
2005 The job is done. With restoration of the
bastion* protecting the northeast of the bailey, the
side most vulnerable to attack, rehabilitation of the
Château de Castelnaud is completed. In this same
year, to mark the 20th anniversary of the Museum
of Medieval Warfare, a mangonel* is constructed based on the specifications of a 12th-century Arab
manuscript. It joins the collection of siege weapons
now displayed on the bastion*.
2009 The scenography of the Museum of War in
the Middle Ages was revamped; the lighting of the
collections was redesigned in some of the most
visited rooms and the collections grew with new
and exceptional pieces.
2015 The Museum of War in the Middle Ages
celebrates its thirty years.
Today... The restoration itself is now finished,
the sources of information and other historic
indications having all been exploited. But the enhancement does not stop there!
The château in the 1960s
6
©Laugery
*glossaire p. 14
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Interview
FOCUS
K léber Rossillon,
an engineering engineer
The Château de Castelnaud is today the property of Kléber Rossillon,
the son of Philippe and Véronique. He is also the owner of the
château and gardens of Marqueyssac. Let’s meet him.
Before talking about the museum housed
by the château, can you tell us a bit more
about your own background?
My family is originally from Beynac, where I went
to school. From a very early age, I loved ancient
buildings - largely thanks to my mother, who was
responsible for having much of the village restored.
An engineer by training, I started work at 23
with the Centre for Space Studies in Paris, then
did work for the Defence Ministry, particularly
on the Ariane satellite launcher. After my parents
bought the château and opened it to the public,
things moved very quickly; to our great surprise,
the number of visitors grew from one season to
the next. From 1985, the site had been managed by
a company; but in view of our success, we decided
on another legal structure... and in 1995 I finally
gave up my engineering career to devote myself to
Castelnaud above all - thus exchanging a rocket for
a trebuchet* !
What gave you the idea of creating the
Museum of Medieval Warfare here?
When I was a kid, I wondered why castle walls
were so thick. Then, one day, the historian Jacques
Miquel told me that it was the damage caused
by military attack weapons which brought about
the development of castle architecture, and not
the other way round. Hence the challenge I set
myself about those machines which assailed the
fortresses: that some time in the future, I’d get
some built to real size.
The seed was sown... Were there any
precedents?
The last and only serious attempt, up to then, was
carried out in 1851 by order of Louis-Napoleon III
(then President, subsequently Emperor of France).
Adopting the method used by Viollet-le-Duc, it
was necessary to analyse medieval iconography
to draw up blueprints of the machines and then
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make full-size versions able to fire on ranges laid
out for that purpose. Medieval artillery worked on
the sling principle pushed to the ultimate: thanks
to the energy from counterweights of several
tons, projectiles of 100 kg (nearly 7 cwt.) could
be fired over more than 200 metres. For the first
time, thanks to the Museum of Medieval Warfare,
both this artillery and the first, late-14th-century
cannons were under the same roof as the military
architecture they’d brought about.
You didn’t stop there...
No, indeed. In 1996, we bought Marqueyssac and its
gardens, just opposite Castelnaud. In 2000, Hubert
de Commarque asked us to promote his formerly
ruined castle near Les Eyzies. And since 2005, the
Institute de France has given us responsibility for
running the Château de Langeais, on the River
Loire near Tours.
T he museum of the art of
war in the Middle Ages
Weapons room
©Laugery
Besides the reconstituted war machines lined
up along the bastion*, the walls of the château
enclose a treasure: the Museum of War in the
Middle Ages, which presents staff weapons*,
swords, crossbows and even more! In addition
to its favourable geographic position and a
much-lauded architecture, the château houses
one of the most beautiful private collections of
weapons, amongst them war machines, firearms
and handheld weapons. And what can we say
about the shining armour, the immobile sentinels
watching over the peace of the place?
It’s for a good reason that a much more peaceful public now flocks here, making it the most
visited château in Southwest France. Close-up
on some of the most emblematic pieces.
Models room
What are your motives, your objectives?
Does your managerial role have a
“philosophy”?
Tourism makes the most important contribution
to the economy of the Sarlat region, where we are
situated.We can’t be slapdash.We show our heritage
at its best as a public service. But I don’t ask myself
what the public would wish to see or visit.
On the contrary, I would hope to inspire what they
wish. In the event, when I please myself, it does no
one any harm! At Castelnaud, everything has been
conceived to arouse the curiosity of children in
particular, but I have noted that this approach also
suits a very wide range of visitors, which gives me
one of my greatest satisfactions. The secret of our
success is to have known how to speak to every
kind of public with regard to the history of the
site. In theatrical terms, we are the producers of
heritage.
©Boutry
Video about the trebuchet
©Laugery
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FOCUS
REPORTAGE
Veuglaire, 15th century.Year of acquisition: 1988
A
château
full of resources!
Salade, Germany, ca. 1480-1490
Year of acquisition: 2010
Where would our historic heritage go if we did not constantly
endeavour to ensure its legacy? At Castelnaud, the question
does not arise: the military aspect of the château couples with
an impressive pedagogic arsenal. Review.
©Laugery
©Rabouan
Crossbow, 15th century
handling of weapons) lets children discover the
complete panoply of a knight.
Frog-mouthed jousting helm,
15th century
Heraldry
Or or Argent? Sable or Azure? The children learn
the vocabulary and get to create a coat of arms in
their own image.
The builders’ secrets
Just like the medieval engineers, the children
measure with feet and inches and try using the
arithmetic rope with its thirteen knots.
©Rabouan
Dining in the Middle Ages
©Lachaud
©Rabouan
A programme specifically devoted to school groups
acts in parallel to the information and resources
that the château offers. The Heritage Workshops
and Artistic Activities pay tribute to the different
skills and know-how from the past.
The art of calligraphy
Military architecture in the Middle
Ages
People with disabilities
Placed in the situation of attackers or defenders,
the students go off on a mission in the château
to identify and understand the its architectural
elements.
Sword, Castillon-la-Bataille, 15th century
Maximilian Armour, Germany,
ca. 1520-1530
©Rabouan
Artistic activities
A workshop in medieval dances
introduces the younger children
to the carole and the saltarello,
while a “coat of arms” activity lets
them create their own emblem
using patterns.
Writing with a stylus pen? Illuminating a dropcap?
Children will learn gothic writing.
©Laugery
Budding cooks discover all the places in the château
used for preparing a banquet and
bring together what they have
learned in a card game.
The château’s educational service
offers most of the activities listed
above in a programme suited to
people with special needs.
Medieval arms and armour
A guided tour full of surprises (trying on armour,
©Laugery
©Laugery
10
Poleaxe, Germany, 15th century
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REPORTAGE
REPORTAGE
A château
full of resources!
Many “medieval activities” punctuate the summer here, such as (depending
on the programme):
Medieval Days at Castelnaud
(Pentecost weekend)
Deployment of men-at-arms, craftsmen and
chambermaids throughout the château. A Living
History troupe brings the château to life over the
course of a weekend. Several cannon firing sessions
and demonstrations of individual weapons make up
the days. It’s also the occasion for visitors to try
wearing a real suit of armour.
“1, 2, 3... play! at the Château de
Castelnaud”
© S & JB Rabouan
(July-August)
An introduction to games of the Middle Ages.
But that’s not all! Throughout the year, very young
children can let themselves be guided by Ermeline
during a narrated tour in which the magical allies
with amusement, the imaginary vies with intrigue!
The children will even be given a quest to accomplish!
Blacksmith demonstration
(July-August)
A blacksmith works in the forge before the visitors’
eyes and reveals the secrets of metal and fire.
Trebuchet* shooting demonstration
(July-August)
The most powerful of war machines in action... In
order to not damage the château, the one used
here is on a scale of 1 to 3!
©Rabouan
A show of arms
(July-August)
A medieval-inspired farce performed by two actors
who draw the public into their eccentricities!
The riddle of the château
12
© Bibliothèque nationale de France, département
Réserve des livres rares, RES-Y2-364
(July-August)
An ambulatory show acted out by two actors who
invite the public to solve a mystery from the time
of the Cathars.
Older children have not been forgotten: the historic
tour (primary level) that is devoted to them will let
them discover, by following in the steps of a friendly
cook, all the château’s hidden secrets.
The unguided tour (approx. 1 hour) lets everyone
discover the château at their own rhythm. Besides
the important collection of weapons and armour,
rich with more than 250 pieces coming from
throughout Europe and exhibited in an educational
manner, the tour of the museum is punctuated
with audiovisual supports, video games and scale
models. Outside, a medieval-type garden pleasantly
concludes the tour.
In summer, as a complement to the unguided tour,
the outdoor guided tour (approx. 45 minutes)
enlarges on the themes of military architecture and
the art of war in the Middle Ages.
A symposium-tour of the museum (approx. 75 minutes) explores the château’s museum and explains
the specifics of medieval weaponry.
©Laugery
13
SCRIPTORIUM
Practical Guide
Is your child between
3 and 12 years old?
This Christmas holiday,
don’t miss Merlin,
an enchanting show!
and dreaming of being a knight or lady
of the castle for a day?
© Badius Ascensius, Jodocus: Stultiferae
naves, Biblioteca Nacional de España
During the mid-term break, let
them seize this unique occasion
to wear a reconstituted armour
from the 15th century or the
recreation of a gown worn by
the lady of the château in the
14th century.
A beautiful medieval tale for children, all
in sound, shadows and light, hailed by the
medieval critics!
« TTTT » Manuscrirama.
© H istory of Merlin by
Robert de Boron
G lossary, lexicon and
play on words!
Staff weapon: with a point or blade fixed on a
wooden shaft.The halberd and the pike are examples.
Barbican: an advanced fortification protecting
the gate into the château.
Bastion: a large fortified work, consisting at
Castelnaud of a great mass of tamped earth supported by vertical masonry.
Curtain wall: a fortified wall, usually with two
towers at each end, and often crowned by a parapet
walk.
Keep: the master tower of a medieval fortress.
Its name in French, donjon, equivalent to the English
“dungeon”, leads many people to think it was a kind
of prison. In fact, though, it was sometimes the local
lord’s living quarters in feudal times.
Don’t be surprised if French visitors
look shocked when the guide calls out
“couillard” (cojones!) or even says to
you “Ferme ton clapet!” No offence
intended. The “couillard” is a type of war
machine with two counterweights and
“Ferme ton clapet!” (Shut the box) is
just a medieval board game.
Get out your tablets...
Practical Guide
Castelnaud in figures
Open 365 days a year.
Visitors: 17,000 in 1985; 250,000 in 2014
including 16,700 school children.
Since 1985, a total of 4,848,000 visitors.
More than 250 weapons and armour
displayed in the museum’s approximately
520m2 of exhibition space.
In the high season, 18 guided tours per
day, 6 of which are in foreign languages.
11 permanent employees and 27 seasonal
workers.
453 steps in the château, 190 metres
between the top of the keep* and the
water level of the Dordogne.
2 stars from the Michelin Green Guide.
At least 800 years of a dense and prestigious history.
Tours:
• Unguided tour (marked with arrows ; guide
booklet offered in 10 languages and braille)
• Guided tours (French, English and Spanish
throughout the year, Dutch in summer)
• Castelnaud – Marqueyssac Package (twinned
ticket)
Our documentation:
• Guide booklet (free)
• Educational guide booklet (upon request)
Our additional services:
• Free games book for children: «The Secrets of
Château de Castelnaud
24250 Castelnaud-la-Chapelle
Tél. 05 53 31 30 00
Fax 05 53 28 94 94
[email protected]
www.castelnaud.com
Open everyday, year round.
February, March and from October 1 to November 11:
10am to 6pm.
April, May, June, September:
10am to 7pm. July, August: 9am to 8pm.
From November 12 to end of January:
2pm to 5pm (Christmas holidays: 10am to 5pm).
chateaudecastelnaudlachapelle
CastelnaudCht
the Château de Castelnaud» (available in French
and English)
• Reading room for young children in the château
• Annual subscription “Les Amis de Castelnaud”
for unlimited access to the château (see terms at
the ticket office)
• Gift and bookshop of the Middle Ages open
year round; on-line purchasing available through
www.castelnaud.com, page “Boutique”
• The tavern, refreshments stand, open from April
to October
• Dogs admitted on a leash
• Pushchair closet
• Baby-changing table in the restrooms
To come visit us (see access map):
Salad of walnuts?
No, it is not a typical Périgord dish. You
might break a tooth because the “salade”
is nothing other than a helmet and the
walnut a piece of the crossbow.
Mangonel: medieval siege weapon - a military
sling with a fixed counterweight.
Trebuchet: an even more powerful siege weapon,
with a pivoted counterweight.
14
15
© Sandrine et Jean-Baptiste Rabouan

our press kit - Château de Castelnaud

Transcription

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