Château de Sedan

Château de Sedan

Location: Sedan, Ardennes department    Map

Constructed: began in 1424 by Eberhard II von der Mark


Musee dy Chateau
1 pl du Chateau

Tel. 03 24 27 73 73
Open: mid-Mar-mid-Sep: daily

 

Destinations in Château de Sedan

Château de Sedan is located in Sedan of Ardennes department in France. Château de Sedan the largest fortified castle in Europe. The construction of the castle started in 1424 by Eberhard II von der Mark on a site of an older 11th century citadel. In 1870 during war between Prussians and the French the citadel gains an important strategic importance. However 700 cannons of the Prussian army convinced Napoleon III of France to surrender. Over 83,000 prisoners of war were deported to Prussia.

 

Location

The castle is located in Sedan on a promontory bordering the Meuse once flanked by two streams, the Bièvre and the Vra, in the French department of the Ardennes.

 

History

Creation and successive enlargements by the lords and princes of Sedan
At the origin of the site is a Benedictine priory dependent on the abbey of Mouzon: the Saint-Martin priory, the foundations of which can be seen in the courtyard of the castle. This priory is mentioned in 1306. Évrard II de La Marck-Arenberg takes possession of the site in 1424 through his brother-in-law Louis de Braquemont, bringing to the latter the dowry that his father (Guillaume de Braquemont) did not have. never provided. He decided to build a castle with a substantially triangular plan around the church which had become a castle chapel. Excavations have shown that this church must have been founded in the 11th century.

Around 1424, Évrard II de La Marck-Arenberg had a mansion built in six years with two twin towers around a church, a rectangular residential keep which was already part of the priory and a round tower to the west which was enlarged further. later to become the "Big Tower". The twin towers serving as the entrance to the castle were protected by a châtelet made up of two small round towers and a watchtower. The plan of this first castle may seem archaic for the time of its construction and has not yet really taken into account the defense against artillery.

When Evrard died in 1440, his son Jean de La Marck undertook the reinforcement of the fortress. But it was Robert II de La Marck, Jean's grandson, who carried out the most important works. In 1495, the siege of the square by the Archduke Maximilian was a failure, as was that led by Charles V in 1521. In 1530, the fortifications of the manor were modernized by the construction of the circular boulevard. The princely residence was built on 100 meters along the rampart on the city side from 1530. The Renaissance pavilion in the style of Philibert Delorme was built for Robert IV de La Marck and his wife Françoise de Brézé. The Governor's house was built in 1536.

Around 1550, the cannon terraces were created by earth filling, between the ramparts and a new wall taken from the farmyard, increasing the thickness of the curtain walls from 4.50 to 26 m, up to a level equal to those dominating the site. Eighteen small lodgings for the troop were created in this filling.

From 1553 began the construction of two triangular bastions on the north-eastern front, that of the Governor finished in 1557, and the Fourchu bastion in 1559. In 1572 the two other bastions were delivered, that of the Ladies and the bastion of Roy. In the middle of the 16th century, the castle occupied an area of 10,000 m2. Its power will discourage Charles Quint and Henri II grants to the lords of La Mark the title of sovereign princes.

Hornworks were added to the front of the bastions but some were dynamited at the end of the 19th century.

The archives make it possible to name the engineers who participated in the last campaign to build the defenses of Sedan: Marin Fourre, who was the initial designer, then, in 1577, the Ferrarese Marc-Aurèle Pazin or Marco Aurelio de Pasino, probably the author the “boulverts” and bastions of the city walls, and finally, after 1585, Jean Errard, from Bar-le-Duc. In 1606, the place besieged by Henri IV must surrender.

Marshal Turenne was born there in 1611.

The principality of Sedan was absorbed by France after the battle of Marfée (1641) and following the failure of a new conspiracy against Richelieu led by Cinq-Mars in 1642. The last prince of Sedan Frédéric-Maurice de La Tour d'Auvergne was forced to hand over the castle to Louis XIII who imprisoned him, then handed over the principality by treaty in September 1642.

Property of the Kingdom of France then of the State
Marshal Fabert, born in Metz, was the first governor of Sedan for the King of France following the attachment of the principality to France. In 1650, he had the Fabert stores built, which today house the château hotel.

The castle is transformed into a garrison. In 1699, Vauban had the Porte des Princes built, adapted to the advances in artillery. This is the only intervention by this famous architect, which suggests that the fortress was of high quality. It then occupies an area of 35,000 m2 on seven levels.

When Napoleon Bonaparte visited the château in 1803, he had the armor collection of the princes of Sedan transferred to Paris. Some are now on display at the Army Museum.

In 1822, the Saint-Martin church was demolished to install a ball park. An artillery platform was created in 1828 at the top of the twin towers.

Surrounded by the Prussian and Saxon armies, on September 1, 1870 during the Battle of Sedan, the army of the camp of Châlons was defeated. Napoleon III had the white flag hoisted over the fortified castle demanding an end to hostilities. The act of capitulation is signed at the Château de Bellevue between Frénois and Glaire.

Dynamite tests were carried out on the Governor's bastion in 1873. Formerly the largest in the fortified castle, this bastion is now largely gutted.

From January 1917 to November 1918, the citadel served as a camp for thousands of French and Belgian resistance fighters sentenced to forced labor by the German authorities. Many died there.

Property of the city of Sedan
Ceded by the French army to the city in 1962, the castle underwent several restoration campaigns.

The castle becomes one of the main tourist sites of the Ardennes. Once housing the city's tourist office, it was then moved to a crossing linking rue du Ménil to the Priests' Promenade at the foot of the castle. There is also the museum inside this castle where there has been since spring 2012, a model of the city of Sedan in the 19th century, due in large part to Jean-Jacques Dromby. One of the rooms of this museum is dedicated to the war of 1870 and is exhibited there a rich collection of Prussian helmets and other weapons, as well as the sketch of the panorama of Sedan by Louis Braun.

A hotel and a restaurant have been set up within the enclosure, with the assistance of a private group, the Hôtels et Patrimoine group. The aim is to contribute to local tourist development, and to revitalize the city centre, located at the foot of the building, by giving tourists the opportunity to stay within "the most emblematic heritage entity".

During the gusts of wind (up to 110 km/h) due to the storms of July 14, 2010, the large roof on the south side partially took off and landed at the location where the falconry show is usually held (upper courtyard , ruins of the Saint Martin priory) for which it was the day off. The castle collections, partly kept in the attic of the building, were largely saved thanks to the spontaneous help of the castle staff and volunteers. The new roof was completed for the 2012 tourist season.

 

The lords and princes of Sedan, dukes of Bouillon

List of princes of the Principality of Sedan

Gerard III de Jauche (1210–1261)
Gerard IV of Jauche (1235–1293)
William of Jauche (1285-1340)
Marie de Jauche (1315–1387)
Hugues de Barbençon marries Marie de Jauche around 1340
Jean de Barbençon (buried at Vireux-Molhain) 1344–1404
Guillaume de Braquemont (1345-1420) marries Marie de Campremy. He bought the castle in 1405 and was the brother of Robert de Bracquemont Admiral of France and Spain
Louis de Braquemont (1390-1424) married Isabelle Le Maréchal
Évrard II de La Marck-Arenberg (1365-1440) marries Marie de Braquemont
Jean de La Marck (1406-1470) marries Jeanne de Virnembourg
Robert I de La Marck (unknown–1497) married Jeanne de Marley in 1449
Robert II de La Marck (1460–1536) married Catherine de Croy in 1490
Robert III de La Marck (1492-1536) married Guillemette de Sarrebruck in 1510
Robert IV de La Marck (1512-1556) married Françoise de Brézé in 1539
Henri-Robert de La Marck (1540-1574) married Françoise de Bourbon-Vendôme in 1559, 1st Prince of Sedan
Guillaume-Robert de La Marck (1563-1588)
Charlotte de La Marck (1574-1594) married Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne in 1591
Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne (1555-1623) married Elisabeth of Nassau
Frédéric-Maurice de La Tour d'Auvergne (1605-1652) married Éléonore-Fébronie de Bergh

 

Description

The castle of Sedan is a fortress built from 1424 which comprises four defensive bastions built in the 16th century, the bastion of the Governor, the bastion Fourchu, the bastion of the Ladies and the bastion of the King. The gatehouse has two round towers which were fitted with hoardings, a portcullis and a gatehouse. The whole fortress is surrounded by walls.

The stately home and the guardhouse date from before the middle of the 16th century. At the beginning of the 17th century, Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne had the Palace of the Princes, also called the lower castle, built and left the fortress building.

The castle has seven floors and walls over 7m wide (the thickest wall is around 27m wide). The battlements were provided with hutches.

With 35,000 m2, it is sometimes called the largest fortress of medieval origin in Europe.

 

Visit and events

The fortified castle of Sedan has had a visit circuit since 1995 when the Historium visit was set up. Wax figures were placed there, illustrating life in the castle in medieval times and in the time of princes. The most prestigious scene is that of the wedding of Charlotte de La Marck and Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, located in the Renaissance pavilion.

Since the spring of 2012, the fortified castle of Sedan has experienced a new lease of life. It has new circuits (A thousand years of history, Principality), new panels, a new entrance to the courtyard of the fortified castle, a new multimedia room, etc. The building attracts nearly 60,000 visitors each year.

The Grand Tournament of Chivalry
For the past ten years, the fortified castle of Sedan has been hosting shows of chivalry tournaments every summer by a mostly Slovak troupe (Normani).

The medieval festival
Since 1996, the castle of Sedan hosts a medieval festival of Sedan around the fortress, the third weekend of May. Popular success, nearly 14,000 paying entries were counted during the last editions.

Torchlight night tours
Each summer original visits, since torchlight, are organized on Friday and Saturday evenings.