Project birth 1994 (≈ 1994)
Idea of Michel Guyot after Saint-Fargeau.
20 juin 1997
Laying the first stone
Laying the first stone 20 juin 1997 (≈ 1997)
Official start of the medieval yard.
1er mai 1998
Open to the public
Open to the public 1er mai 1998 (≈ 1998)
80,000 visitors in the first year.
2002
Completion of the sleeping bridge
Completion of the sleeping bridge 2002 (≈ 2002)
57 oak trunks, 670 forged nails.
21 mai 2014
Inauguration of the hydraulic mill
Inauguration of the hydraulic mill 21 mai 2014 (≈ 2014)
Functional archaeological reconstruction.
2015
Record attendance
Record attendance 2015 (≈ 2015)
300,000 visitors per year.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Michel Guyot - Project Initiator
Owner of Saint-Fargeau, bearer of the idea.
Maryline Martin - Director-General
Site management since 1997.
Jacques Moulin - Chief Architect
Designer of the plans of the castle.
Florian Renucci - Owner
Construction manager, former stone tailor.
Guilbert Courtenay - Fictitious Lord
Historical figure imagined for the project.
Nicolas Faucherre - Castellologist
Member of the Scientific Committee.
Origin and history
Guédelon is a unique experimental project in Europe, launched in 1997 in Treigny (Yonne) under the leadership of Michel Guyot, owner of the Château de Saint-Fargeau. The aim is to rebuild a 13th century castle using exclusively medieval techniques, tools and materials, without resorting to modern processes. The site, a former quarry of ferroruginous sandstone surrounded by forest, offers the necessary natural resources (stone, wood, clay, water), reducing transportation costs as in the Middle Ages. The project, validated by a scientific committee, aims to deepen knowledge in castellology and experimental archaeology.
The plans of the castle, of the Philippian type (late 12th–early 14th century), were designed by architect Jacques Moulin. The castle consists of six circular towers connected by courtines, a seigneurial house, a chapel, and a 28.5 m dungeon. The first stone was laid on 20 June 1997, with a planned duration of 25 years. The site, which has been open to the public since 1998, has become a major tourist site (300,000 visitors in 2015), while serving as a laboratory to study the organisation of medieval construction sites, crafts (stonesmiths, blacksmiths, vanniers) and the logistical challenges of the time.
The project is based on a historical fiction: the castle is presented as the property of Guilbert Courtenay, a small lord of Puisaye born in 1199, vassal of Jean de Toucy. This imaginary narrative, developed with medievalists, justifies the absence of a drawbridge or moat (reserved for large castles) and the presence of elements such as a hydraulic mill or chapel. The site, which is self-financed (€3 to €4.5 million in annual turnover), employs about 100 people and 650 volunteers, combining scientific research, pedagogy and the development of old occupations.
The benefits of Guedelon are multiple: scientific (validation of theories on construction techniques), tourist (2nd site of Burgundy after the Hospices of Beaune), and economic (creation of local jobs). The project also inspired documentaries (BBC, Arte) and international symposia. In 2022, it welcomed 265,000 visitors, including a third of school children. The experimental approach allows testing hypotheses, such as the manufacture of lime mortar or the use of squirrel cages to lift loads, while raising awareness of living history.
Highlights include the construction of an oak bridge (57 trunks, 670 nails forged by hand in 2002), the construction of a hydraulic mill in 2014 (inspired by archaeological excavations), and the painting of frescoes in the house (mineral ochres, lay motifs inspired by illuminations). The project, which is still under way, questions the limits between reconstruction and innovation, between historical authenticity and contemporary adaptation, while offering a self-financing model for heritage projects.
