Chevreuse, at last!

Here are the much- awaited images from the Château de la Madeline on the hill above Chevreuse, France. That is to say, they have waited a long time to see you, even if you haven't been waiting to see them!

I rushed out after class on a Friday afternoon, grabbed a bike, and hopped on the RER. From the end of the train line I biked fast and managed to reach the castle a good hour and a half before it closed. Here I am standing on the outer wall of the castle, looking in. You can see the well in the middle of the picture and the stronghold to the left.

The old cellar of the castle has been turned into a museum. There they had a number of models of the castle. They think that it possibly started out as a single wooden tower used by a Feudal Lord to protect the farmers in the village below, then the first stone structures were built in the late 11th century. In 1108 King Louis the 6th attacked the castle, which at that time consisted of little more than the stronghold, as he tried to take control of all of France from the local lords. The stronghold resisted his attack.


Later in the century walls and towers were built around it. In 1356, during the hundred years war, the lord of Chevreuse was captured by the English and had to pay a steep ransom for his liberty, so he sold the castle to a man who was friends with kings Charles the 5th and Charles the 6th. With their aid and money he made further modifications and improvements to the castle. Nevertheless the city of Chevreuse, and the castle, were captured in 1414 by the Duke of Bourgogne.

There were other tidbits of history also but I can't quite piece them together. There used to be an abbey connected to the castle, which may have even predated the castle. It's foundations are on private property so they have not been able to do any excavating. Because it is in a cellar, the museum has a couple of different levels. Here is the stairway going down to the lowest level, along with a knight that I added digitally. :-)

I also tried on this very fashionable helmet and expressed my feudal self. After I had seen my fill of the castle I explored the country roads and bike paths in the countryside and then wound my way back into Chevreuse. I wanted to see the waterway with all of the little bridges that I had visited the last time I was there. It was every bit as pretty as I remembered.


I was going to take a very mediocre picture of a street lamp and a bench when I saw the sun shining through the trees onto this archway along the canal.

I continued along the canal, taking occasional pictures. When I got near the end I turned around, and this is what I saw. Wow! Have I ever mentioned that I love this town?