Château de Lafauche

En un regard

Le château en bref

On the summit of a hill, some forty kilometres from Chaumont, the ruins of Château de Lafauche recall a stronghold that was one of the largest in the Haute-Marne. At the beginning of the 12th century, Hugues de Lafeische built the first keep there, on the eastern border of the kingdom. His descendants took part in the great expeditions of the age: one Hugues died during the Third Crusade, another fought at Bouvines in 1214, and a third perished in Egypt during the Seventh Crusade. Between 1473 and 1476, Jean de Baudricourt acquired the stronghold and adapted its towers to artillery; it withstood the siege by Charles the Bold in 1476. The fortress, which covered more than three hectares, was enclosed by a wall one and a half metres thick, flanked by eighteen towers. It then passed to the Amboise family, then to the Lorraine family, and then to the Crozat family, before being sold as national property during the Revolution and exploited as a stone quarry. Its remains are now open to visitors.