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Origin and history

Harcourt Castle, located in the department of Eure in Normandy, finds its origins in the 11th century with a first wooden fortress built on a feudal motte. In the 12th century, Robert II of Harcourt, a crusade companion of Richard the Lion's Heart, erected a square stone dungeon, mentioned in charters between 1173 and 1175. This dungeon, surrounded by a courtyard and a chapel, marks the beginning of medieval architecture preserved today.

In the 13th century, John I of Harcourt transformed the fortress by adding a polygonal castle with five round towers and a enclosure flanked by twelve archery towers, reflecting the influence of "philippian" fortifications. In 1272 John II of Harcourt received King Philip the Hardi there. The castle played a strategic role in the Norman conflicts, especially during the Hundred Years War, where it was taken by the English in 1418 before being taken over in 1449 by the French troops.

The fortress suffered major damage during the Wars of Religion (1589-1591), where it changed hands several times between leagues and royals. In the 17th century, Marie-Françoise de Brancas, wife of the Earl of Harcourt, rearranged the castle to make it more habitable: it destroyed three sides of the medieval polygon, pierced large classical bays and created a pleasant garden. The interior is redesigned, with a monumental stone staircase and ironwork.

After the Revolution, the castle, spared by destruction, was sold in 1802 to Louis-Gervais Delamarre, a Parisian confessor. In 1802 he established one of the oldest arboretums in France, planting rare species like cedars in Lebanon. When he died in 1827, the estate was left to the Royal Academy of Agriculture, then transferred to the Department of Eure in 1833. Since 2000, the departmental council has been its owner.

Today the castle preserves major elements of its medieval architecture, including the unfurled dungeon, the twin towers of the entrance chestnut and the dry ditches. The lower courtyard, once populated by buildings (housing, chapel, stables), is now an open space. Ranked a historic monument in 1862, the site was restored between 1988 and 1990 by volunteers of the Association Buildings Histoire et Architecture Médiévales.

It was created in the early 19th century and surrounds the castle and houses remarkable plant species. The 12th century well, 70 metres deep and equipped with a squirrel cage wheel added to the 14th century, bears witness to medieval practical arrangements. The castle thus illustrates the architectural and landscape evolution of a Norman fortress, from the Middle Ages to the classical era.

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