Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Péronne is a medieval building built in the early 13th century under the reign of Philippe Auguste, typical of Philippian architecture. It consists of four sandstone towers connected by brick walls, surrounded by ditches, with an entrance protected by a drawbridge and a harrow. This castle was a royal residence, where Philippe Auguste imprisoned Renaud de Dammartin after the Battle of Bouvines in 1214. A missing dungeon was destroyed in the siege of 1536. The site also preserves the remains of an 18th-century governor's residence, military stores, and underground storage and defence rooms.

In the Merovingian era, Peronne already housed a royal residence, where Radegonde de Poitiers stayed in the sixth century, and later Erchinoald, mayor of the Neustrie Palace, who hosted Fursy de Peronne. In 884, this residence was burned down by the Vikings. In the 10th century, Herbert II of Vermandois held King Charles the Single prisoner between 923 and 929. The castle then became a symbol of the Franco-bourguignon conflicts: in 1468 Louis XI was captured there by Charles the Témeraire, Duke of Burgundy. Transformed in the 17th century to resist artillery, the castle served as a weapons store until 1914.

Damaged during the Battle of the Somme in 1916, the castle was partially classified as a historical monument in 1924 for its three remaining towers and courtines. Since 1992, he has hosted the History of the Great War, a museum dedicated to the First World War. High areas, such as the guard room and terraces with views of the city, are not accessible to the public. The undergrounds, on the other hand, reveal dungeons, murderers and storage galleries, testimonies of its defensive role.

Today, the castle consists of four round sandstone towers, two of which frame the unique entrance. The interior courtyard houses the ruins of the governor's residence, bread ovens and handling shops. A well and stairs lead to underground rooms, where medieval military installations are discovered. Although some parts are not open to the visit, the site remains an emblematic place in the military and royal history of Picardia.

External links