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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Montrond Castle, built in the 13th century (first mentioned in 1225) by Renaud de Montfaucon, was originally a feudal fortress on Mount Rond, between the Cher and the Marmande. Strategic during the Hundred Years' War, it was taken by the English in 1361 before being rebuilt in the 15th century by Charles II of Albret, who added twelve towers and a 40-metre dungeon. His resistance to subsequent assaults made him a famous place.

In the 17th century, the castle passed into the hands of major figures: Sully the acquirer in 1606 and modernises it by digging ditches in the rock, then Henri II of Bourbon-Condé (father of the Grand Condé) makes it a stunning place thanks to architect Jean Sarrazin (1636–46). The latter incorporates advanced fortifications (ravelins, dreads), foreshadowing the work of Vauban. The castle, with three bastioned enclosures, plays a key role during the Fronde: besieged for 11 months (1651–1652), it capitulates by famine, marking the last seat of a French stronghold during a civil conflict of the Ancien Régime.

After the Fronde, Louis XIV ordered its dismantling (partly executed for lack of powder). In the 18th century, Mademoiselle de Charolais, unable to take up his maintenance, had it destroyed in 1736 to serve as a career for the inhabitants. The ruins disappear under a public garden in 1827, but excavations active since 1969 gradually reveal its foundations. Today, remains such as the Tower of the Clock or the Grand Cavalier are protected (classified in 1988), while worked stones from the castle are embedded in the city walls.

The site retains strong local memory, notably through dispersed architectural elements, such as a monumental fireplace entourage converted into a window. The excavations, carried out by archaeologists and volunteers, aim to restore the original hold of the castle, although some fortifications, buried under modern constructions, remain inaccessible. The castle thus illustrates the military transformations (from the medieval dungeon to the modern bastions) and the political upheavals of pre-revolutionary France.

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