Located on the Dordogne River, Castelnaud is a medieval stronghold that commands the surrounding valley.  The castle was started in the 12th century and was the home of a Cathar lord in the 13th century.  The castle fell to the Church during the French crusades against the Cathar and became a royal property.  It was given to the English by the French king, St. Louis, some time later and changed hands between the French and the English several times during the 100 Years War.  It fell for the last time to the French in 1442 and was modernized over time as the technology of war matured, changing from arrows and stone throwing siege engines to guns and cannons.

Today, the castle is a medieval siege warfare museum with displays, original weapons from the 13th-15th centuries, catapults, and informative displays.  We found the size of the weapons amazing.  Catapults that could throw 100kg stones at 200 miles an hour, rifles 2 meters long, and crossbows that could shoot arrows more than 1 meter in length.  It was also interesting to see the improvements to the building to allow for cannons to fire from what had been arrow slits.

Check out the pictures:

For a virtual tour of the museum and more history, check out this great site.

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Page created on 05 Aug 2001