Foundation of the castle XIIe siècle (≈ 1250)
Construction of the double-walled fortress.
XIIIe et XIVe siècles
Crisis and strengthening
Crisis and strengthening XIIIe et XIVe siècles (≈ 1450)
Hundred Years' War, plague, works of William II.
1890
Donation to the department
Donation to the department 1890 (≈ 1890)
Henri-Guillaume de Chabrol ceds the castle.
1953
Transfer to the municipality
Transfer to the municipality 1953 (≈ 1953)
Murol became owner of the castle.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Guillaume II de Murol - Lord of Murol
Strengthens the castle around 1390.
Henri-Guillaume de Chabrol - Last private owner
Give the castle in 1890.
Origin and history
The municipal museum of Chambon-sur-Lac is closely linked to the ruins of Murol Castle, a medieval fortress founded in the 12th century. Located at 1,050 meters above sea level, this double concentric castle was a strategic point to control three major regional roads. He played a key role in protecting local populations, especially during crises such as the Hundred Years War and plague outbreaks, which struck the region in the 13th and 14th centuries.
In the 14th century, under William II of Murol, reinforcement work was undertaken to adapt the fortress to external threats, such as road raids. Between the 15th and 17th centuries, the castle, then owned by the d'Estaing family, evolved to follow military progress, without ever being taken by the English. Despite his declining role after the Revolution, he served successively as a prison, a den for robbers and a stone quarry.
Spared by the policies of dismantling Richelieu and the Revolution, the castle was given in 1890 by Henri-Guillaume de Chabrol to the department of Puy-de-Dôme, and then ceded in 1953 to the commune of Murol. Today, the site highlights medieval life through animations on armament, heraldry and the daily life of lords and peasants.
