A Frenchman’s Castle Is His Home - Guédelon Castle
When did the fashion of castles die out? Some might say that castles stopped being built after the introduction of gunpowder and cannons to Europe, where the powerful iron cannonballs could smash through even the thickest stone castle wall. Others might argue that it wasn’t until the Victorians or later that castles stopped being built, though not as defensive buildings but rather for luxury and as a social statement. Certainly, by even the Napoleonic Wars, castles had been replaced by the star fort as the main defensive structure in Europe. But why am I telling you about castles? I tell you about them because they are cool, first of all, but also because I say that the fashion of building castles is not yet completely dead. I bring you to the first castle that is scheduled to be built in the 21st century.
Figure 1: One of the most famous English castles - Windsor Castle. (Wikimedia Commons, 2026).
In the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of North-East France there is the commune of Treigny. Treigny is near to where our main character is located. Guédelon Castle is the name we need to remember, and it’s being built using one of my favourite types of archaeological techniques. Experimental archaeology. Experimental archaeology is where archaeologists use period correct tools and techniques to create and test hypotheses. Butser Ancient Farm in England is an excellent example, with replica Saxon, Roman, and Iron Age buildings built using the same materials and methods as would have been used 2,000 years ago.
Figure 2: The reconstructed Roman villa at Butser Ancient Farm. (Wikimedia Commons, 2026).
The story of this castle begins in 1979, when Frenchman Michel Guyot purchased the ruins of the Château de Saint-Fargeau and began to restore it. In 1995, they found medieval foundations below the ruined brick structures over them. The foundations gave a complete layout of the original castle. After consideration, Michel decided to reconstruct the original castle a short distance from the ruins. €400,000 was raised from the EU and various other sources, while plans for the castle was submitted to the French government for approval in 1997.
Figure 3: The plan of the château. (Wikimedia Commons, 2026).
As details about the original history of the castle is sparse, Michel and his team had to establish a character and narrative. As such, the year is 1228. Louis IX has been crowned King of France in Reims, and the lord of the area with Guédelon Castle is named Guilbert. Born in 1199, he is a vassal of Jean de Toucy. To further his status, he marries Jean’s niece, giving himself lands and wealth. On this land he establishes himself a castle. The castle itself is to be built in the architectural style of Philip Augustus, last king of France, who standardised the military architecture.
Figure 4: A contemporary depiction of Louis IX. (Wikimedia Commons, 2026).
For Michel to begin construction of his castle, he chooses a nearby former sandstone quarry as the site, since moving a vast amount of stone over long distance in the Middle Ages would have been expensive and time consuming. In late July 1997, his permission was granted and construction begin forthwith. Sandstone from the quarry gives the stone, oak from the nearby forest provides the timber, and the soils around the site can be used to make the mortar. All this is done as it would have been in the 13th century.
Figure 5: Sandstone being carved on-site. (guedelon.fr, 2026).
No modern techniques are used to make the castle. No concrete foundations or metal rebar support in the walls and beams. There’s also no modern machinery used, which I find to be the most fascinating part. Any heavy lifting is done using treadwheel cranes, where a large wheel is operated by a person walking inside it, like a giant hamster wheel. By studying the techniques of other nearby castle ruins and historical accounts, Michel and the team are able to build Guédelon as accurately as possible.
Figure 6: The foundations of the castle in around 1998, with several treadwheel cranes being seen. (guedelon.fr, 2026).
The site is open to the public and been operated continuously since 1997. It’s possible to volunteer and work in the castle construction, which is still far from done. They work with historians and archaeologists, who inform and instruct them on their construction methods and equipment, and in return gain invaluable knowledge of how these techniques and tools were used, not to mention how a medieval construction site was operated and run.
Figure 7: Construction in 2013. (Wikimedia commons, 2026).
The finished castle will have a full curtain wall, multiple towers, a keep, chapel and main house. By 2025, a lot of the foundation work has been completed or in progress. The curtain walls are already partly complete in some sections and two towers have been “crowned” with a timber and wood shingle cone roof. The main chapel tower has been completed, insides painted, and much of the manor house is done. However, there’s still a lot to do, and all this costs time and money. The castle has an entry fee which all goes towards the construction, maintenance, and working of the site. Visitors are an important part of the castle, as without them the project would not be able to continue.
Figure 8: The castle in 2025. (Wikimedia commons, 2026).
Guédelon Castle is an invaluable wealth of knowledge about how people in the medieval age built castles and used the technology of the time to the best of its abilities. The finished castle is not the most impressive part of this project, though the eventual castle will of course be imposing and stupendous. The journey and method are the most important and mind-boggling things. Nothing on this scale has been attempted before as an experimental archaeology project. Other castles may have been built in modern times, but not like how Guédelon Castle is being built. As a learning tool, the castle is important not only for academics but also for the public as an open-air museum.
Berengar Needham is a recent student on the 2025-2026 MSc Museum Studies programme at the University of Leicester.
Editor's note: This is our final article of the year! It's been a real privilege to share our cohort's research and stories with you. We hope you have enjoyed it as much as we have, and that you have felt inspired to engage with the world of arts, culture and heritage! - Benjamin Colvin, 2025-2026 MAGS Magazine Chief + the 2025-2026 Museum Studies cohort.
Comments