Château de Langoiran

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View of the castle ruins of the Northwest, etching by Léo Drouyn, 1862

The castle Langoiran (French Château de Langoiran ) is a ruined hill fort in the town of Langoiran around 25 kilometers south of the city of Bordeaux in the French department of Gironde. It is classified as a monument historique since May 1892.

History

Although castle and castle lords first mentioned in the 11th century, come the oldest surviving parts of the 13th century. The latest parts date from the end of the Renaissance.

The fief of Langoiran belonged for centuries to the most famous and most powerful of the Duchy of Aquitaine, and was therefore often involved in the disputes between the English and French kings. Since this was not part of Duchy of England, but personal possession of the English kings, was the ruler called on the throne of William the Conqueror from Henry II King of England and Duke of Aquitaine. The Dukes of Langoiran always fought on the side of the English king, only Berard d' Albret was at the end of his life, in 1370 after the Battle of Eymet, forced to fight for the King of France.

Over time, the castle came into the possession of the most famous families of southern France: The Escoussan built the present structure from the 13th to the 14th century, it possessed in the second half of the 14th century Albret, the Mont Ferrand from the late 14th until the beginning of the 17th century.

Architecture

The donjon of the 14th century has both the thickest walls as well as the largest diameter of all mountain peace in southern France. Its massiveness and valor make him the most important part of the castle ruins (80 meters above the valley of the Garonne ), you can see up to 50 km wide.