Misplaced Pages

Château de Cléron

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Castle in Cléron, France
Château de Cléron

The Château de Cléron is a 14th-century castle in the commune of Cléron, 25 kilometres (16 mi) south of Besançon, in the Doubs département of France.

History

Before the 12th century, the lords of Cléron succeeded the lords of Scey to control the crossing of the River Loue by a wooden bridge on the main « Route du sel » ("salt road") of Franche-Comté, the road linking Besançon to Salins-les-Bains and assuring the prosperity of the region in the Middle Ages.

The castle was built in 1320 on the bank of the Loue by Humbert de Cléron (vassal of the County of Burgundy) on the site of a former Gallo-Roman castrum.

During the Ten Years' War (1634-1644, and part of the Thirty Years' War) led by Richelieu (cardinal and prime minister of Louis XIII) to attempt the reconquest of County of Burgundy to Habsburg Spain, the village was devastated, once by Swedish mercenaries in the pay of France in 1639, then a second time by the French.

The castle was heavily remodelled in the 18th century while preserving its Middle Ages defences - keep, machicolations, arrowslits and murder-holes. It is flanked by a square tower, the Clock Tower, from the 19th century.

This perfectly restored castle is the private property of the Montrichard family. It has been listed since 1988 as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.

Tourism

The private gardens are open to visitors during July and August.

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ^ Base Mérimée: Château, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  2. Franche-Comté regional Tourism Committee: CHATEAU DE CLERON

External links

47°05′16″N 6°03′27″E / 47.08778°N 6.05750°E / 47.08778; 6.05750


Stub icon

This article about a castle or château in France is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

Categories: