Château d'Harcourt

English translation

The text above is the record as published by the Ministère de la Culture, in French. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Ministère de la Culture; it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

History

The origins of the castle go back to 911, when the King of France ceded Normandy to Rollo at Saint-Clair-sur-Epte. On the feudal motte, the first castle was built in wood. In the 12th century, a square stone keep was built. In the 13th century, the enclosing wall was erected with twelve towers; the moats and the enclosure made the complete circuit of the castle. The lower courtyard, which was accessed by a gatehouse connecting two towers, contained a real village: accommodation for soldiers, chapel, stables, etc. In the 17th century, the castle was remodelled by the Princess of Brancas who had the moats filled in and the enclosing wall on the east side razed; with the stones, she rebuilt the façade of the castle. Inside, a monumental staircase of the 17th century is formed of stone steps with an ironwork ramp, then wood. Outside, on the terrace providing access to the castle, is a well dug into the rock in the 12th century; it was fitted with a wooden wheel in the 14th century. After confiscation of the castle at the Revolution, it was sold in 1804 to a Parisian lawyer, Louis-Gervais Delamare, who massively introduced pine cultivation. In 1828, the estate was bequeathed to the Academy of Agriculture which created an arboretum there in 1833.