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Origin and history

The castle of the Dukes of Burgundy, located in Aisey-sur-Seine (Côte-d'Or), is a 12th century building, today in a state of ruins. Probably built as a defensive fortress, it was modified in the 15th century by John without Fear, who added artillery elements in 1419. Its strategic location, near the Seine and the roads (N71 and D29), made it a coveted checkpoint during the Hundred Years War. The British troops then ransomed him, threatening to destroy the neighbouring village, leaving his name at the nearby Troubles Bridge.

Around 1700, the castle was dismantled by Perruchon du Fay, his stones reused to erect the castle of Tavannes. The current remains, on a 35-metre square platform, include two-metre high preserved walls, a northeast tower with arches, and a reduced flood ditch. A engraving by Claude Chastillon (1610) and the Atlas of Roads (1759) describe a square ensemble flanked by round towers, surrounded by moats connected to the Seine. The site also had a closed park of 200 hectares, with a falconry and a chapel, now disappeared.

The architecture of the castle reflected its dual role: military defense (porch tower, archères, moats) and seigneurial residence (inner courtyard, Gothic chapel). The bay of the chapel, visible on the east facade, and the materials in the middle exterior apparatus testify to medieval construction techniques. The Dukes of Burgundy had built a cynegetic estate there, a symbol of their feudal power in Burgundy-Franche-Comté. The ruins, buried in vegetation, today recall this lost heritage.

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