The Château de Florac is a castle

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...

, originally built in the 13th century and rebuilt in the 17th century, located in the French town of Florac

Florac

Florac is a commune of the Lozère department in southern France.-Twin towns:Florac is twinned with:* L'Anse-Saint-Jean, Quebec, Canada since 1984* Arbucies, Catalonia, Spain since 1987-References:* -External links:...

, in Lozère

Lozère

Lozère , is a department in southeast France near the Massif Central, named after Mont Lozère.- History :Lozère is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...

, in south-central France.

It originally belonged to the Barony of Anduze

Anduze

Anduze is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.-Population:-References:*...

 and passed through a number of feudal families. It was entirely rebuilt in 1652 after the Wars of Religion

French Wars of Religion

The French Wars of Religion is the name given to a period of civil infighting and military operations, primarily fought between French Catholics and Protestants . The conflict involved the factional disputes between the aristocratic houses of France, such as the House of Bourbon and House of Guise...

. During the French Revolution

French Revolution

The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...

, the castle was turned into a "salt loft" for storing salt. It was used as a prison in the 19th century.

Modern use

Since 1976, the castle has been the headquarters of the Cévennes National Park

Cévennes National Park

The Cévennes National Park is a national park located in southern France, in the mountainous area of Cévennes.Created in 1970, the park has its administrative seat in Florac at Florac Castle. It is located mainly in the départements of Lozère and Gard, and covers some parts of Ardèche and Aveyron...

, who restored it.

The ground and first floors house an exhibition on the National Park (landscape, flora, fauna and activities connected with the park). The information centre has details of hiking, guided tours, accommodation and écomusées (open-air museums) in the park.

External links

• Florac Castle, virtual tour.