Castle of Bournazel, FR - Bournazel , 2026
Castle of Bournazel
The Château de Bournazel is a Renaissance-style house that is located in the French commune of Bournazel in the department of Aveyron, in Occitanie.
The castle was built by Jean de Buisson, a soldier and merchant's son, between 1540 and 1560, on a former fortress that he had inherited from his wife. The entrance to the castle is marked by a porch with two truncated towers, a vestige of the first medieval castle enclosure. The Renaissance castle today consists of two L-shaped buildings. The gallery, reminiscent of a triumphal arch, is the former façade of a section that was removed in the 19th century. Two monumental dungeons then open onto the main courtyard.
Its current owners, Martine and Gérald Harlin, who acquired the castle in 2007, initiated a restoration that included the complete reconstruction of the main section and its corner tower in Renaissance style to restore the castle's original structure. Then they started the reconstruction of the monumental staircase leading to garden level. The visitor will discover a Renaissance staircase with stone vaults, as well as rooms furnished with paintings, tapestries and objets d'art, each with a monumental fireplace.
The Grand Trophée de la Restauration Dassault Histoire et Patrimoine 2021, organised by the Fondation Mérimée, was granted on 18 October 2021 to the Château de Bournazel and its owners.