The picture of Châteauvillain you’re most likely to see in a tourist guide is that of the Deer Park (parc au Daims), 272ha of parkland which is a walker’s delight.    But reducing the town to that single attraction does it a great injustice for it really is a multi-faceted town which offers much for the visitor.

The history of Châteauvillain, down through the ages,  is an  epic story which on its own makes the town well worth a visit.

Written in the stone of the 12th and 14th century fortified walls, at the foot of its defensive structures (machicolations are the projecting parapets with slits for throwing projectiles onto the invading hoardes below), at the top of its twenty-odd towers (historically, there were more than 60), as much as in its maze of alleyways and fortified walkways, this astonishing story is well worth discovering.

In the small museum in the ‘Tour Auditoire’ (so-called because legal hearings took place here) visitors can discover, among other things, the models of the town’s former castles.   Throughout the year, guides can help you retrace the footsteps of the Lords of  Châteauvillain, Jean I, The Duke of Vitry and the Duke of Penthièvre, (Grandson of Louis XIV and his mistress Madame de Montespan).

Nestling prettily in a bend in the river Aujon, Châteauvillain is also the place where you can find flower gardens huddling in the town’s ancient ditches, cut into the limestone on which the town rests.

Situation: Châteauvillain is 21 km from Chaumont, 23km from Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises and 52km from Langres.   Leave the A5 motorway junction 23 (17km) or junction 24 (14 km).

Guided tours run at 16h every day (including Sunday) from 1st July to 31st July, on European Heritage days and by appointment throughout the year (preferably for a minimum of 5 people).       

These tours, lasting approximately and hour, are peppered with juicy anecdotes, trace the extraordinary history of Châteauvillain.

Price:   5 € per person (accompanied children under 16 free)

Contact: Catherine Boussard

Email: broussard.catherine@wanadoo.fr

Tel: 03 25 32 15 41 Mobile: 06 88 56 67 94