Château de Carrouges
About Château de Carrouges
A 14th-century fortress built on marshy ground in 1367 by Jean IV de Carrouges, this castle remained in the Le Veneur family for nearly 500 years before the French state acquired it in 1936. The pink brick and granite structure features a Renaissance gatehouse (1505-1533), a 17th-century parade apartment with Italian-influenced painted decor, and one of Europe's rarest hunting room collections. The 10-hectare park, inner courtyard, and ground-floor hunting rooms can be visited free of charge. Opening hours vary seasonally: May-August 10:00-18:00, other months 10:00-17:00, with a midday break. The castle has minimal heating, so dress warmly in cooler months.
Interesting Facts
In 1386, the castle hosted the protagonists of what would become the last officially sanctioned judicial duel in France. Knight Jean de Carrouges accused squire Jacques Le Gris of assaulting his wife Marguerite, and King Charles VI authorized trial by combat. The duel, fought before a crowd of thousands in Paris, ended with Le Gris's death. This event inspired the 2021 film 'The Last Duel' directed by Ridley Scott.
The Le Veneur family name literally means 'The Hunter' - they held the hereditary title of 'Grand Veneur' (Master of the Royal Hunt) at the court of the Dukes of Normandy and later the Kings of France. This explains the castle's exceptional collection of hunting rooms, considered one of the finest in Europe.
During World War II, the castle served as a secret storage facility for artwork evacuated from the Rouen Museum to protect it from bombing. The building sustained damage during the Liberation fighting in 1944, and restoration work has continued intermittently since the 1950s.
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