Château du Houssoy
Encyclopedia
The Château du Houssoy is a ruined 14th and 15th century castle
in the commune
of Crouy-sur-Ourcq
in the Seine-et-Marne
département of France.
It has been listed since twice as a monument historique
by the French Ministry of Culture. One wing furnished with machicolation
s, extending along the Avenue de la Gare, was listed in 1932. The keep
and the gabled wall of the former house, including its chimneys, were added in 1962.
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...
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 Crouy-sur-Ourcq
Crouy-sur-Ourcq
Crouy-sur-Ourcq is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.-External links:* * *...
in the Seine-et-Marne
Seine-et-Marne
Seine-et-Marne is a French department, named after the Seine and Marne rivers, and located in the Île-de-France region.- History:Seine-et-Marne is one of the original 83 departments, created on March 4, 1790 during the French Revolution in application of the law of December 22, 1789...
département of France.
It has been listed since twice 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. One wing furnished with machicolation
Machicolation
A machicolation is a floor opening between the supporting corbels of a battlement, through which stones, or other objects, could be dropped on attackers at the base of a defensive wall. The design was developed in the Middle Ages when the Norman crusaders returned. A machicolated battlement...
s, extending along the Avenue de la Gare, was listed in 1932. 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 the gabled wall of the former house, including its chimneys, were added in 1962.