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Castle of Sancerre dans le Cher

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine défensif
Demeure seigneuriale
Château fort

Castle of Sancerre

    Place du Connétable
    18300 Sancerre
Private property
Château de Sancerre : La Tour des Fiefs
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Château de Sancerre
Crédit photo : Moreau.henri - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Bas Moyen Âge
Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
4e quart XIVe siècle
Construction of the castle
1573
Sancerre Headquarters
1621
Partial Demolition
1874
Construction private hotel
1919
Foundation wine sector
2025
Renovation in hotel establishments
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Tour des Fiefs (case AL 130): inscription by order of 12 February 1927

Key figures

Louis de Sancerre - Connétable de France An influential member of the owner family.
Charles VII - Future King of France Stayed at the castle of Sancerre.
Jeanne d'Arc - French historical figure He stopped there during the war.
Armand de Crussol - Duke of Uzes A staircase was added in 1856.
Louis-Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle - Founder of the wine sector Owner until 2016.

Origin and history

The castle of Sancerre was built at the end of the 14th century on an isolated hill of the Sancerrois, 150 meters above the Loire valley. This strategic site allowed the Counts of Sancerre to control the commercial routes between Bourbonnais, Orléanais and Nivernais. The fortified city of Sancerre developed at its feet, protecting the least abrupt access to the hill.

The castle was the seat of the Counts of Sancerre, a powerful family whose members held key positions, such as Louis de Sancerre, a connetable of France. He also welcomed the future Charles VII and Joan of Arc, stressing his importance at the border of the kingdom. The fortifications, now almost disappeared, were demolished in 1621, leaving only the Fief tower, a 14th century cylindrical dungeon, and some remains of cellars.

The Fiefs Tower, classified as a historical monument in 1927, houses a private museum on the ground floor, with armor and pellets dating from the siege of 1573, as well as an 18th century chapel upstairs. A wooden staircase was added in 1856 by Armand de Crussol, Duke of Uzès. The rest of the site has been occupied since 1874 by a Louis XII style mansion, surrounded by a park.

The historic wine estate, formerly linked to the castle and covering 55 hectares in AOC Sancerre, was separated in 2017 and is now owned by the Maison Ackerman. The castle itself, after several changes of owners, was renovated in 2025 to become a hotel combining guest rooms, a gourmet table and a treatment room.

Among the notable owners are the Marnier-Lapostolle family, which founded the wine estate in 1919 and kept it until 2016, when it was sold to the Campari group. The Fief Tower, meanwhile, remains accessible to the public and bears witness to the medieval and Renaissance history of the region.

External links