Good-day ladys and gentlemen and welcome to Coucy le Château. This commune was home to Europe's largest fortified castle.
Voxinzebox - Collection : ZeVisit
114 feet tall. 62 feet in diameter. The post cards dating from before 1914 give us a precise idea of the castle's gigantic size.
Before you, the war memorial perfectly summarizes the history of this site. At the foot of the 1914 soldier sits the castle with its imposing keep.
It was here in the bailey that the people would take refuge when the castle was under siege.
And in the 19th, overgrown, it served as the belvedere, in the heart of Governor Lhermite's romantic park. Which is where the name Lhermite tower comes from.
One reaches the top of the keep by way of a spiral staircase, carved into the wall itself.
You can thank the French Revolution for that ! The Sans culottes destroyed it in 1789..
Now that is a lovely gate with a fine figure, although I am having a hard time completely recognizing it. Dear child, I am anxious to discover the appearance of my keep.
Its two semi-circular towers, there, facing us, were 5 floors high. 98 feet tall. In the 16th century the rampart walls were up to 50 feet thick.
The hall of the valiant was once home to the statues of 9 valiant knights. In the recesses that we can still see up on the walls.