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Origin and history

The Château de Grand-Champ, located in Soussey-sur-Brionne in Burgundy-Franche-Comté, is an ancient castle whose first written traces date back to 1323. Originally, it occupied a slightly raised rectangular platform, surrounded by ditches and walls, with a dungeon accessible by a drawbridge. The site was protected by a closed courtyard, typical of the medieval fortifications of the area.

In 1364, the castle underwent a siege, marking a tumultuous episode of its history. In the 15th century (1451-1454), the fief emerged from Othenin de Cléron, lord of Saffres and of Is-sur-Tille, attesting to its strategic and seigneurial importance. The remains described in 1787 – a square tower, a two-storey house body, ditches and parapets – testify to its architectural evolution before its transformation.

In the 19th century, medieval ruins gave way to a modern castle, incorporating a neo-Gothic tower and a Belle Époque residence called Villa des Vallées. The walls of counter-escarp, keeping traces of the 13th century strong house, recall its defensive past. Today, the renovated site, private property, combines medieval heritage and architectural reinterpretations of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

The estate also includes a square dovecote and a lift evoking the former courtyard. Although the ditches are now dried up and turned into gardens, they betray the original spatial organization. The castle thus illustrates the historical strata of Burgundy, from medieval lords to modern owners.

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