Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Moulins-Engilbert, also known as the Old Castle, is a medieval building whose first constructions date back to the late 10th and early 11th centuries, as evidenced by carbon analyses 14. These remains, in opus spicatum, are found in the base of the dungeon and in the upper courtyard. At the beginning of the 11th century, a building was added to the east of the dungeon, relying on it. These primitive elements reveal an ancient occupation, long before subsequent redevelopments.

In the 13th century, the castle and its lands passed under the control of the Count of Nevers. This period marks a major redevelopment of the site, including the reconstruction of the dungeon. A notable event took place in December 1290: the marriage of Louis I of Nevers with Jeanne de Rethel, celebrated in the enclosure of the castle. These transformations reflect the strategic and symbolic importance of the place for the local nobility.

Between 1383 and 1390, the Chamber of Accounts of the Duchy of Burgundy financed important works of restoration of defences and buildings, attesting to its military and administrative role. From 1424 to 1440, the castle houses the Ducaux children from the marriage of Philip the Good and Bonne d'Artois. In 1463-1464 the Count of Nevers wrote the first Norwegian customary law, which was finally adopted in 1534. However, in 1475, the site became an issue during the conflicts between royal troops and Burgundy for the control of the city.

From the 18th century, the castle gradually deteriorated. His entrance towers even serve as a prison, before the French Revolution turned him into a national good, sold as such. In 1853, Victor Moreau, a local notary, acquired the ruins and undertook preservation works inspired by romanticism: he built traffic spaces, planted trees (including a laricio pine still visible), restored the bay in 1877 and added a basin in 1879 in the lower courtyard. Its action aims to preserve the picturesque appearance of the places.

Since the 18th century, the castle has been home to a vegetable garden and an orchard. In the 1950s, a small public garden was created around the old basin, opening the site to the public. Ranked a historical monument in 1993, it was bought by the municipality of Moulins-Engilbert in 2006. Since then, the "Association des amis du Vieux Château" and the municipality have been working on its development, with renovations such as that of the southern wall of the house between 2008 and 2010. The site remains a testament to the architectural and historical evolutions of the Nièvre.

The excavations and archaeological studies, like those published in 2009 by the DRAC of Burgundy, allowed to specify the phases of construction and occupation of the castle. It thus illustrates almost a millennium of history, from medieval origins to contemporary restorations, through its role in feudal conflicts and its adaptation to agricultural and public uses.

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