Day 16 – Building the past in the future!

Today we ventured to the site of the Guédelon Castle to see what all the fuss is about. It was about an hour’s drive from Chablis to the site and was a pleasant drive – especially with the sun shining. The castle is located in an old quarry in the heart of the Guédelon Forest.

Back in 1995, an idea was bandied about to build a 13th century castle from scratch using the technology and materials of the 13th century. Personally, I think that there might have been some wine involved…like a lot of wine. However, that idea flourished and after some discussions, negotiations and fund raising the idea became a project. In July of 1997, the plans were approved and the first stone could be laid.

All the artisans working together to make the plans a reality is quite a sight. At any time, there are or were quarrymen, stonemasons, carpenters, woodcutters, blacksmiths, tilers, carters and rope makers busily going about their tasks. Additionally, there are crafters, cooks and gardeners creating furnishings, clothing workers and feeding the workers as well as the visitors.

Now keep in mind, this is being told to you by a person who has trouble pounding a nail in straight. That said, this was awesome! And to think the work has been going on for almost thirty years. You heard that correctly… this wasn’t a castle kit from Sears. They have a 2030 target date for completion.

The original completion date was pushed back a few years when the stonecutters and master masons were called upon to help with the re-building of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris following the catastrophic fire. We’re hoping to be able to see Notre Dame when we get to Paris, so there will be an update later in the trip report.

Our drive from Chablis took a little over an hour and was awe-inspiring. The scenery was incredible as we drove along recently harvested vineyards and farmlands with hay bales dotting the fields, then passing through mini forests with leaves so dense that the sunshine instantly became shade. The road followed the landscape so we went up and then down, zig-zagged around hills and then long straightways from town to town.

Most of the towns were small, all were built around wine and farming and they oozed charm. We didn’t see many people except for a few doing outdoor chores and in one small town where they were decorating for an Octoberfest.

I have to give props to the Waze app. We used it to guide us through all those roads and towns and it didn’t fail us. Actually, our only problem came when we lost cellular service, but I had brought my wi-fi device along and we were able to switch over and continue on our way.

After not seeing much in the way of traffic, we arrived at the castle site and the lots were loaded with vehicles. Obviously, they all came a different route or they were invisible. It turns out that many of those people were there for an automobile show taking place in the parking lot. There were quite a few old cars there, like one would expect at a car club gathering.

No matter, we had to park a little further away with the RVs and campers but it was still close.

Admission was €19 each for Sue and I. The only discounts are for children and students. We paid and received our tickets and a property map.

Once you step through the gates, you can decide what you want to see and when to see it. There are no guides, just signs pointing the way to the various workshops and, of course, the castle. The grounds are uneven dirt paths and there is sand, stones and mud to get in your shoes or between your toes if you’re wearing sandals.

Keep in mind, everything is being built with 13th century techniques and technology. Stone and wood are the materials of choice, with some iron work for nails, hinges and frames. With that said, our first stop was the blacksmith shop.

With the hearth ablaze, it’s a great place to hang out on a chilly day. When the days are sunny and hot, well…the water mill isn’t far away. It’s hard work and interesting the way they know when the metal is ready to be struck and shaped just by its color in the hearth.

Next stop was the stone quarry. When you see the castle and realize just how much stone was required, you’re mesmerized. Tons of stone had to be quarried and then cut to fit before being put in place.

And for the precision work and decorative details, the masons were called in to then work those stones for a perfect fit. Keystones for arches can be seen above almost every door and window in the castle.

The mortar makers were busy with their slurry of sand, water and gravel mixed just right to keep all those stones in place for years to come.

Ok, so we have rocks, stones, metal for braces and mortar. Let’s build a castle.

All those stones and rocks had to be moved to the proper location and then placed one by one. The walls looked to be about three feet thick, so it wasn’t just one pile of stone, it was multiple layers. When you look at the walls, you can see how many different people worked on them over the years. The amazing portion is near ground level where the bigger heavier stones were used for the foundation.

The lifting equipment is also pretty cool. It’s like a hamster wheel with pulleys. A person walking inside can raise about 1200 pounds of stone or other materials. The ingenuity from earlier centuries is really quite amazing.

Uh oh, we’re gonna need some wood. That meant a trip to the forest to chop down trees. The horses would then drag them back to the worksite where they would be debarked, cut to length and hewed.

There was a need for large, thick support beams as well as smaller pieces for roofing and shingles to cover the roofs.

The interior looked equally impressive. It just needs a few touches here and there to make it feel homey.

The windows brought in lots of light to take away some of the castle gloominess. There were quite a few handpainted wall decorations in the living quarters and the chapel. I’m hoping someone is crafting seating pads for those window seats or inventing heating pads for the winter months.

We next returned outside to see some of the other craftspeople and their contributions. Since this is a self-sustaining project, there is no such thing as running to Home Depot or Ikea. You need it, you make it or grow it.

We started down the path to see the dyers at work. Using mainly plants and flowers, they are able to create dyes for use in clothes and decorations. The most costly and difficult color to create was purple, which is why it was reserved for royalty, priests and nobles.

It was similar for the painters. They used different combinations of stones, clays and pigments to create the various colored paints. I guess that’s why so many things were painted the same colors back in the day. They only had certain materials available to work with.

The basket makers weaved their magic to create baskets to carry things around. It was especially valuable when picking fruits, vegetables and herbs among so many other things.

Some of the hardest tasks were left to the horses. Plowing fields, pulling wagons and dragging heavy objects like trees were part of their job description.

Gardeners are also very important. They watch over the vegetable, herb and medicinal gardens that provide needed supplies to the kitchen, bakery and apothecary (think CVS Pharmacy).

I’m sure that there are many others who have participated that we didn’t see, but are valuable to the project.

It was a great experience to see what they have accomplished. None of this could have been done without hundreds of people working together and sharing their talents. I tip my hat to them all – great job!

Before leaving, we stopped at the Gift shop and bought a loaf of freshly baked bread and also a Brioche Chocolate for the ride home. They were baked in the onsite kitchens and smelled delicious. I’ll be sweeping out crumbs before turning the car in.

The ride home seemed to go quickly. Probably because all the surprise little streets were now known and we had wifi all the way. It was still sunny, but we could see the clouds in the distance coming our way.

Somewhere along the way, we decided that we would not be attending the concert in town this evening. That left us with a mini dilemma as we hadn’t made dinner reservations. After a couple failed attempts at making a reservation, it began to rain. With that, we decided that our fresh loaf of bread that we bought at the castle would go perfectly with some cheese and sausage and a bottle of wine. Voila! Dilemma solved.

So with a sore back and tired legs, we propped up our legs and relaxed for the evening.