Historic French castle ‘little Versailles’ free to visit – but there’s a HUGE catch

The owner of a historic French chateau is happy to give it away for free, but there’s one big catch.

Dating back to the 10th century, the Château de Lagarde remains one of the most charming medieval castles in the country today.

It was once called the ‘little Versailles of the Pyrenees’. It began as a simple watchtower under the King of Aragon, Ramier I, in the 11th century. It was later converted into a defensive fortress by the Lévis family until the mid-16th century.

It was built on a square plan and was surrounded by four monumental towers, fences and moats. In the 17th century it was converted into a magnificent pleasure palace. At its peak it could accommodate 236 people.

But despite the castle’s charm and history, the current owner, Francis Tisseyre, is willing to offer the site to anyone who wants to take it off his hands.

The Château de Lagarde is a timelessly charming medieval French castle first dating back to the 10th century

The current owner, Francis Tisseyre, said he is willing to offer the beautiful castle to anyone ‘for free’

During the French Revolution in 1783, the castle was reduced to ruins and plundered by people who sold the stones to the highest bidder.

After being abandoned for two centuries, it was classified as a historical monument in 1914. Later, a woman bought the castle.

After her death, Francis Tisseyre was given the castle as a gift in 2012, on the condition that he and his family would restore the castle to its former glory.

Mr. Tisseyre set up a non-profit organization, Per lé Castel, to raise money for the reconstruction, inviting visitors and organizing fundraising events.

However, when it was determined this summer that it was no longer safe to enter the upper part of the castle, the chances of its reconstruction may have been slim to none.

Instead of 20 events per year, this year only two to three events are allowed due to the unsafe construction, which has a major impact on fundraising.

Speak with The DispatchMr Tisseyre said it would cost “millions of euros” to fully restore the structure, about twice as much as Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.

Due to current structural problems with the castle, it cannot accommodate large crowds to raise funds.

Mr Tisseyre revealed it would cost ‘millions of euros’ to fully restore the structure

Despite the charm and history of the castle, Mr Tisseyre is prepared to offer the site to anyone who wishes to take it over from him.

He added that the castle is “freely available” to anyone, provided they carry out the repair work.

‘Neither the community of municipalities nor the department [will take the castle] “Due to a lack of resources to carry out the work and make it accessible,” he added.

To ensure that not all is lost, government agencies are reportedly working on what they can do to save the monument, it said. The connection.

However, the question remains whether this charming castle will fall into further disrepair.