Culan
Encyclopedia
Culan is a commune
in the Cher département in the Centre region
of France
.
It is best-known for its 12th-15th century medieval castle
, the Château de Culan
, one of the oldest castles still occupied in the world. The castle has beautiful medieval gardens and it is open to visitors every day from Easter until November.
river, in the south of the département some 35 miles (56.3 km) south of Bourges
and at the junction of the D997 with the D943, D4 and D65 roads.
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...
in the Cher département in the Centre region
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
It is best-known for its 12th-15th century medieval 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...
, the Château de Culan
Château de Culan
The Château de Culan is a French medieval castle located in the commune of Culan in the Cher département. -History:The castle, listed as a Monument historique at the start of the 20th century and classified for its walls and roofs in 1956, has known a turbulent history...
, one of the oldest castles still occupied in the world. The castle has beautiful medieval gardens and it is open to visitors every day from Easter until November.
Geography
The commune is a farming area comprising the village and a few hamlets situated by the banks of the ArnonArnon (France)
The Arnon is a river in central France, left tributary of the river Cher. Its source is near the village Préveranges, west of Montluçon. The Arnon flows generally north through the following départements and towns:* Allier...
river, in the south of the département some 35 miles (56.3 km) south of Bourges
Bourges
Bourges is a city in central France on the Yèvre river. It is the capital of the department of Cher and also was the capital of the former province of Berry.-History:...
and at the junction of the D997 with the D943, D4 and D65 roads.
Population
Places of interest
- The church of St.Vincent, dating from the seventeenth century
- The castle
- A watermillWatermillA watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
- A nineteenth century viaductViaductA viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...