Bonjour, mes amies ~ let’s leave the city for a bit and talk about medieval castles of strength and grandeur today!
At 3,400 feet above sea level, the Château de Murol is a fantastic journey into a medieval life. We went on Christmas Eve and, being the only people in sight for miles around, the entire castle was our playground. And what a playground it is!
Murol was built in the 12th century – again, I am in awe of the technology and engineering of 1,000 years ago. Will the buildings built today be around in 1,000 years? I don’t think so.
The fortress was originally built to secure and oversee three important regional trade routes. At the time, the area was densely populated, fertile, and very prosperous. Having double concentric walls shows the level of engineering sophistication for defensive protection, even in the year 1250 or so.
The Lords of Murol held the area in control during the 13th and 14th centuries, but did not escape damages from the “Hundred Years’ War,” which was the longest military conflict in European history, or the bubonic plague that raged throughout the continent. (Learn more here) The Château itself was never conquered by the English, but constant marauding by small armies caused many of the surrounding villages and farmlands to be abandoned.
In 1390, Guillaume II de Murol reinforced the castle, and the site today reenacts his Lordship over the castle in demonstrations and jousting and displays. Between the 15th and early 17th centuries, the fortress was utilized in various military strategies and campaigns. It was actually left intact by the French Revolution but lost its function as a residence and became a prison, a robbers’ fortress, and a stone quarry.
In 1890, the last owner, Henri-Guillaume de Chabrol, gave it to the department of the Puy-de-Dome. Perhaps a classic case of selling the farm to pay the taxes…the ownership was again transferred to the town of Murol in the 1950s. It is open for touring 365 days a year, and we were so fortunate to have the entire place to ourselves!
One of the best things about Murol is that is has been so authentically preserved – it’s not just a shell that one sees so often in Europe. The armament room has been well recreated with artifacts, as have the kitchens and the accounting room and Lord’s bed chambers. We really had a sense of what it would be like to be in the household of the Château — freezing cold stone ramparts for the guards, burning sunlight in the courtyard for the maids, treacherously tiny winding stairs, hot blazing ovens in the kitchens, and magnificent views of both pastoral fields and advancing marauding armies.
There was also punishment meted out for infractions – a locked, hanging cage the size of a man, visible outside the fortress, where the guilty person would be unable to sit or squat, left in the sun, with no means of bodily function, and its said the crows would pick at the prisoner until there was nothing but bones left. Talk about deterrent to crime!
Murol is a lovely hour’s drive from Clermont Ferrand. Be aware that it’s a good jaunt to walk up a long road to get to the castle from the parking area! The small town of Murol is charming, situation at the base of the fortress, spanning a lovely small river and entertaining visitors to the Chateau with good restaurants and antique stores. Lac (Lake) Chambon is nearby, as well, and both make a GREAT day trip from CF!
Next blog, we’re off to Vichy, and showcase a little Belle Epoch architecture and healing waters!
Stay warm out there,
Bisous!
Mindy
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