En un regard
Le château en bref
The Château de l'Étang is located in the commune of Audigny, in the Aisne department. Its oldest parts date back to the Middle Ages, with building and alteration campaigns in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries that did not change the original plan. The building follows a nine-sided polygonal plan, formerly surrounded by moats that are still partly visible; curtain walls flanked by towers, set at the rear of the plot or corbelled out, provided its defence. Access is via a small stone bridge extended by a drawbridge leading to the entrance gate, which is built on a sandstone base topped by courses of white stone and then by brickwork with reticulated patterns; the depressed arch of the entrance is set within a rectangular frame whose coats of arms were destroyed during the Revolution. In the 17th century a residential building (logis) was laid out, with a stone ground floor and a brick upper storey adorned with reticulated decoration similar to that of the gate. The château saw a military episode in 1655, during the Franco-Spanish conflicts, when it was occupied by Spanish cavalry commanded by the Prince of Condé. The fortified entrance gate was listed as a historic monument (inscrit au titre des monuments historiques) by order of 28 June 1927. The château remains private property and is not open to visitors.
