Hey guys,

it was so cool to post about the pinmapple community (the last post of mine was also my first post about the haveyoubeenhere - community ;)) and so i thought i can do that more often now ;)
Just like the place I wrote about last time, the castle we are talking about today is also in France.

More precisely, it is about the "Château de Pierrefonds". It is located in the village of the same name, Pierrefonds, in the département of Oise. It borders on the forest of Compiègne. If you're ever in Paris, it's also a good opportunity to visit the castle - it's only an hour north of Paris.
The castle, as you can probably see from a distance, is situated on a steep hill above the town. Once on top of the castle, you have a beautiful view through the stone windows (you can see this in one of my last photos).

sorry for this blurred picture ;)

A fairytale castle

The square where the castle now stands was previously occupied by a 12th century manor house. At that time, the powerful Nivelon family lived there.
But what really fascinated me about the castle was its architecture, its appearance: Do you also think that the castle looks like something out of a fairy tale? And a bit like from the Middle Ages, but not a real knight's castle.
The architect Viollet-le-Duc is responsible for this appearance. Viollet-le-Duc was one of the greatest architects of his time and the château is also considered his greatest and best-known work.
What also makes the castle so special is not that it looks so magnificent and majestic, but that it has quite a bit of history to offer: Many a king didn't want it, and then another ruler came along and had it built after all:

In the beginning, it was to serve as a fortress: Duke Louis of Orleans (1372-1407), quarreled with the Duke of Burgundy over royal power. For this reason, he had a fortified residence built in Pierrefonds in 1397, today the basic structure of the castle. This underlined his power and gave him more control over the exchanges between Flanders and Burgundy.

Around the 19th century, the castle was only something like a ruin, it no longer really existed.But why was it destroyed? Louis XIII was responsible, who had it destroyed in the 17th century. And that is so that it does not become a refuge for oppositionists. This great ruin is forgotten for the time being. In the 19th century, when Romanticism in particular was revived, many visitors came.

It was then rebuilt for Napoleon according to his preferences. Napoleon III had it rebuilt as an imperial residence. However, it does not become a residence for Napoleon, instead it is then opened to the public and there is a museum inside.

Exhibitions of Monduit workshops inside

And you can see it all in the castle: there is an exhibition here that can be visited all year round. It contains many masterpieces of 19th century ornamentation. They were made in the famous Monduit workshops. You can marvel at many historical monuments. The artists have also given major exhibitions and even worked on the Statue of Liberty - so they are experts ;))

A fairytale castle that reminds one a little of a knight's castle

And now for the incredible location of the castle: as you have already learned, the castle rises majestically from the forest of Compiègne, it is surrounded by it, so to speak. The estate is incredibly beautiful, there are many gardens here where you can just relax :)
The 30 years it took to restore the castle were definitely worth it! Not only is it super exciting to wander through all the corridors, but there is also a lot to marvel at here: a drawbridge, eight huge defence towers and a Zwinger. So it does have something of a knight's castle about it ;)

Many extraordinary stone figures

The castle even served as a backdrop for the TV series "Merlin - the new adventures"! I found the many stone figures in the castle courtyard particularly interesting - some of them seem very strange and odd. For example, there is a bird with seven human breasts ;)

An incredible view! :)

and these are my highlights of the castle: the park, the Monduit collection, the armoury, the courtyard, the many stone monuments and the keep. And of course the view from the very top ;)

My final recommendation: The castle is definitely worth a visit, even though it is an hour away from Paris, I can only recommend it to everyone, especially if you are spending a few days in Paris, a short trip outside and the castle is definitely a good change ;)

Finally, a little information: it is not entirely free to visit the castle: Adults pay €8.00, with a concession it's €6.50. In summer, the castle is open between 10:00-17:30, but it's best not to arrive too late, as the last admission is 45 minutes before closing time.

And that's how much time you can plan for the tour of the castle: just under 90 minutes is definitely enough to have seen most of the castle and also to deal with its history for longer.

• However, if you have a Paris Pass, the visit is free :) Fortunately, with the Paris Pass and a free Metro Travelcard, you can easily get from Paris to the Châteaux in France.

I hope you enjoyed the post, feel free to comment what you think of the castle and how you like the pictures and the story about it. See you next time!