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Origin and history

The Château de Rognac is a 16th and 17th century building located in the commune of Bassillac and Auberoche, Dordogne, New Aquitaine region. It consists of a round tower and two logis adjacent in right angle, surrounded by moat fed by a bypass of Isle. In the vicinity, a mill in ruins, built at the end of the seventeenth century with the materials of the old walls, bears witness to past economic activity. The site, which has been listed as historical monuments since 1945, is now a private property partially converted into gites.

The castle played a role during the Fronde in the mid-17th century, serving as a base for insurgents. Its mill, formerly equipped with five wheels and an oil mill, was an island building connected by a medieval dike. Despite the floods of l'Isle, especially that of 1910, remains of its technical device remain. The round tower, characteristic of defensive architecture, and the bowlows, rare for the time, highlight its heritage interest.

Together, including the castle, the mill and the communes, illustrates the evolution of fortifications in seigneurial residence and then in place of production. The transformation of the stone walls to build the mill reflects post-medieval economic adaptations. Today, the site combines historical preservation and tourist use, while remaining a private property inaccessible to the public outside of seasonal rentals.

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