Château de Chazeron
Encyclopedia
The Château de Chazeron is a castle
situated in the commune
of Loubeyrat
in the French département of Puy-de-Dôme
, 3 km (1.9 mi) north-west of Châtel-Guyon
.
Originally a medieval castle, Chazeron was altered in the 17th century by the architect François Mansart
. He built a staircase on the site of the keep
and added an arcaded gallery. The moat
was filled in, three of the external walls were demolished and two wings were added.
During World War II
, Léon Blum
, Georges Mandel
, Édouard Daladier
, Paul Reynaud
and Maurice Gamelin
were imprisoned in the castle in 1942 before their appearance at the Riom Trial
.
Today, the castle is a cultural centre, exhibiting drawings and avant-garde furniture. The keep offers views over the Sardon
valley and the Limagne plain. The castle has been listed as a monument historique
by the French Ministry of Culture since 1944.
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
situated in the commune
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
of Loubeyrat
Loubeyrat
Loubeyrat is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France.-References:*...
in the French département of Puy-de-Dôme
Puy-de-Dôme
Puy-de-Dôme is a department in the centre of France named after the famous dormant volcano, the Puy-de-Dôme.Inhabitants were called Puydedomois until December 2005...
, 3 km (1.9 mi) north-west of Châtel-Guyon
Châtel-Guyon
Châtel-Guyon is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France.Prior to 1 July 2007 it was known as Châtelguyon.-References:*...
.
Originally a medieval castle, Chazeron was altered in the 17th century by the architect François Mansart
François Mansart
François Mansart was a French architect credited with introducing classicism into Baroque architecture of France...
. He built a staircase on the site of the keep
Keep
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
and added an arcaded gallery. The moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
was filled in, three of the external walls were demolished and two wings were added.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Léon Blum
Léon Blum
André Léon Blum was a French politician, usually identified with the moderate left, and three times the Prime Minister of France.-First political experiences:...
, Georges Mandel
Georges Mandel
Georges Mandel was a French politician, journalist, and French Resistance leader.-Biography:Born Louis George Rothschild in Chatou, Yvelines, was the son of a tailor...
, Édouard Daladier
Édouard Daladier
Édouard Daladier was a French Radical politician and the Prime Minister of France at the start of the Second World War.-Career:Daladier was born in Carpentras, Vaucluse. Later, he would become known to many as "the bull of Vaucluse" because of his thick neck and large shoulders and determined...
, Paul Reynaud
Paul Reynaud
Paul Reynaud was a French politician and lawyer prominent in the interwar period, noted for his stances on economic liberalism and militant opposition to Germany. He was the penultimate Prime Minister of the Third Republic and vice-president of the Democratic Republican Alliance center-right...
and Maurice Gamelin
Maurice Gamelin
Maurice Gustave Gamelin was a French general. Gamelin is best remembered for his unsuccessful command of the French military in 1940 during the Battle of France and his steadfast defense of republican values....
were imprisoned in the castle in 1942 before their appearance at the Riom Trial
Riom Trial
The Riom Trial was an attempt by the Vichy France regime, headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain, to prove that the leaders of the French Third Republic had been responsible for France's defeat by Germany in 1940...
.
Today, the castle is a cultural centre, exhibiting drawings and avant-garde furniture. The keep offers views over the Sardon
Sardon
Sardon is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France.-References:*...
valley and the Limagne plain. The castle has been listed as a monument historique
Monument historique
A monument historique is a National Heritage Site of France. It also refers to a state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their...
by the French Ministry of Culture since 1944.
External links
- Ministry of Culture listing for Château de Chazeron
- Ministry of Culture photos
- Ministry of Culture listing for Château de Chazeron park
Sources
- Michelin: Green Guide: Auvergne, Rhône Valley (Michelin Tyre plc, 1995) p.95
- Ministry of Culture at www.culture.gouv.fr