Normandy was founded in 911 AD, in sight of the castle. It's less than 1500 meters away that the Viking chief Rollo and the Frankish king, Charles III, met. From their parley, they agreed to sign the Saint-Clair-sur-Epte treaty, the document that created the duchy of Normandy.
Historians are still arguing about what the castle looked like back then.
Was there already a wooden protective wall or just the hill where Rollo would build the first Norman defenses in 911?
Whichever the case, the location of the castle is not coincidental: from this hill, overlooking the Epte valley (the Epte is a tributary of the Seine), the fortress stands as a guardian of the duchy's eastern frontier.
Standing right between Paris and Rouen, the Norman capital, any invasion by land or water can be seen from its walls.
In 1097 AD, preparing for war against the French kingdom, William II, king of England and regent of the duchy of Normandy for his brother (who had left for the Crusades) decided to heavily fortify the castle, transforming it in an impressive stone sentry.
While Normandy is in theory a vassal of the French kingdom, the duchy is more and more in conflict with Paris.
It is while leading an invasion of French lands that William the Conqueror died, with his son by his side.
For centuries, this stronghold was a strategic asset during the wars between the French and Norman (then Anglo-Norman), contested by both powers for its strategic location.
After the Middle Ages, the castle was less and less useful, until the cardinal Mazarin, Louis XIV first minister, ordered its dismantling in 1647. Since then, abandoned and forgotten, the fortress fell bit by bit to ruin, under the assault of men, nature and time.
But, in 2015...
Overrun by vegetation, stones missing, rooftops
full of holes or totally collapsed, towers and walls partially
collapsed... That's how we discovered the fortress when
we entered it for the first time, in 2015. Our organisation, Héritage historique (Historical heritage), aim to save and protect historical heritage could'nt remain unmoved by the castle ruin.
A massive fire and numerous years of neglect by its former owners had left the castle in a tragic state of disrepair. In some parts, nature had even took over again, damaging the masonry and speeding up its ruin.
Since then, our volunteers, all history lovers, have worked hard to slow down and repair the damages of time. Our first battle was against the invasive vegetation. The two courtyards, the ditches, the residential quarters... everything was overrun. Trees were even growing high on the walls, destroying the ancient stonework with their roots.
Like a medieval army, ivy was assaulting the towers, the ramparts, the exterior walls, infiltrating everywhere, loosening the stones and weakening the masonry. Implacable, patient, every year the damage spread further. From all the sieges the castle had seen, this one is by far the most dangerous.
Our first task was to save the fortress from this deadly assailant. Thanks to our volunteers efforts, we have salvaged the courtyards, the towers, the walls and the living quarters from the ravages of this invading enemy.
And with the support of our valiant goat division, they're is no coming back for the vegetation!
Once this important work was done, we were finnaly able to see the walls and make a real assessment of the castle's condition.
Since 2015 we have repaired more than 200 square meters of
roof to protect the masonry. We have done dozens of
small but essential repairs to avoid further collapse and to
repair the most fragile parts. But we are well aware that for
the castle to be reborn, much more substantial work
needs to be done
Today, we need your help to keep protecting the forgotten sentry.
Like every year, summer is the time of work and repair in the castle. It's the season where our workers (all volunteers) can give the most of their time to be here.
This year, we have schedule two work periods. The first one, in July, with our regular volunteers, and the second one in August.
The latter will be realised in partnership with a local
employment aid organization, and we'll welcome a group of
young people reintegrating into the workforce to help us with
the castle's restoration.
But, for the first time since 2015, we will now work on a large scale and repair whole parts of the castle's structure.
It's our most ambitious project but also the most necessary work we'll have done since we decided to save the castle.
In fact, the general condition of the castle is so bad in some areas that they are inaccessible without this summer's reconstruction.
Obviously, this prevents any public visit, but also hinders their restoration. The slit windows and walkways for example can't be repaired until we have stabilised several walls, currently partially collapsed.
This is both a good news and a new challenge for us: this is the proof that we are making progress and that our efforts to save the castle are fruitful.
But this new chapter of our work involves substantial cost, and it will be difficult for our small organization to afford them.
Not to mention the cost of the architectural studies, we must invest in professional tools and equipment to successfully complete this summer's projects. In total, this equipment is worth 20 000 €, a sum of money our small association isn't able to pay yet.
That's why we are asking for your help and your generosity: we need your donation to help us fund the restoration of the castle.
This summer's work will focus on several parts of the fortress's structure, substantially decayed by the centuries and the elements.
This stage of our project is crucial for the castle's restoration: if we succeed in our work, the castle's destruction will be stopped and not just slowed down!
Let me explain in detail what our objectives are in this important task:
- Main objective : Restore the master tower-gate:
It's the most important and ambitious part of our summer campaign, but also the most expensive. We're not sure we'll be able to complete it this summer.
Partially collapsed since 2001, a significant crack split the tower from the top to middle. The wall has also collapsed at its base, and was totally overrun by the ivy, destroying the mortar and weakening the building.
To start the work on this part of the castle we must first set up important security measures, especially a rock screen roof and a shoring equipment (as in the picture above).
Our goal is to make the masonry repairs on the part of the
building we will be able to access thanks to the shoring. This will
allow us to stabilise the wall and delay its erosion.
The scaffold, will allow us to work on the upper part of the wall, the shoring equipment preventing any risk of collapse.
The aerial bucket, will allow us to repair the whole crack, without putting our volunteers at any risk.
- Secondary objective : Save the West outer wall :
It is one of the most severe threats for the castle. The western wall's base is seriously damaged at three points where the vegetation dislodged mortar and stones. A massive crack also runs through the center of the wall. This significantly weakened the whole rampart.
- Bonus objective Stop the South tower gate's lintel collapse :
One of the arrow slits in the southern tower-gate has greatly suffered from erosion, many stones are missing on the sides and the lintel is very close to collapse.
This is particularly worrying. If this arrow slit were to fall down, the stability of the entire wall is threatened.
To complete this important work we have no other choice than to ask for your help. As I said before, our small organisation can't afford to buy all the professional equipment we need to save the castle.
To completely finish our summer work, and maybe even get ahead on a future campaign, we need a total of 20 000 €.
- First tier goal : 5 000 € - we can start our summer work
- Architectural studies : cost 3 000 €
- Insurance and materials : cost 2 000 €
- Second tier goal : 10 000 € - we can work on the walls
Purchase of a professional scafolding
Cost : 5 000 €
- Third tier goal : 15 000 € - we can work on the top of the tower
Purchase of a professional aerial bucket (second-hand). Cost : 5 000 €
- Fourth tier goal : 20 000 € - we can get ahead on next year projects
Purchase of a mini excavator (second-hand). Cost : 5 000 €
Your donation can make a difference and allow us to save, repair and rebuild this witness of Europe's history which has stood here for nearly a thousand years. We are relying on you, Thank you in advance for your generosity.
You can help us by donating:
- on line with a credit card on this page after creating an account on Dartagnans
- by a bank transfer after creating an account on Dartagnans
- with a cheque with your email adress on the back, made out to the order of "Association Héritage Historique", and sent to the following address:
Dartagnans Campagne Châteauneuf sur Epte 15 rue de Milan 75009 PARIS
For any specific questions, don't hesitate to send an email to: [email protected]
You can learn more about the castle's history and our organisation's work on our website : www.chateaunormand.fr (English version coming soon)
You can also support us and keep in touch with a like on our Facebook page!
