Castle of Carrouges

The Château de Carrouges is a château, dating partly from the 14th century, located in the commune of Carrouges, in the Orne department, Normandy, northern France. It is unusual in its combination of an austere fortress with a comfortable residence. The original fortifications at Carrouges were besieged and destroyed by English forces during the Hundred Years War. After the war, the château was rebuilt by Jean Blosset, grand seneschal of Normandy, in the 15th century.

In the 16th century, the family of Le Veneur de Tillières came into possession of the château. It was extended several times until the 17th century, with notable additions including a gatehouse, the western bastion, and the grand apartments. The interior was remodelled in the 18th century, when the music room was built. The last Le Veneur sold the château to the French state, and from 1944 it was restored. It is now managed by the Centre des monuments nationaux and is open to the public.

Text adapted from “Château de Carrouges” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Castle of Carrouges ranks #1,896 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #146 of the 469 mapped in France. Founded c. 1350, it is older than 57% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 582 atlas entries founded in the 14th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 5,285 times in the last 60 days, more than 85% of the atlas. The nearest day-trip guide is Le Mans, 67 km away. It is one of the 16 landmarks on the atlas's regional map of Normandy. See how France compares in the castle statistics.

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