If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 387

Castle ruins, Crozant, Creuse, France

Here is another postcard shared by my French friend.  This unused one has a color photograph of the castle ruins of Crozant on the River Creuse in France.  The card is a Photo Edition “France Regard” issue.  The ruins are on an islet located at the confluence of the Creuse and the Sédelle rivers.

The Eguzon dam built in 1926 altered the landscape from the time when the castle was in use.  Paintings and old photographs from before 1926 show the differences.  The castle was built on a rocky outcropping between the Creuse and its tributary the Sédelle.  It is estimated that a fortress was built here between about 997 and 1018 AD.  The current ruins shown on the card date from the 13th century.   When the Catholics took the castle in 1588 one of the towers was ruined.  During the early 1600s the local people used the castle for building materials and by 1640 the king’s inspector noted that the remains were in a sad state.  The ruins cover a large part of the spur; have several ramparts, a square donjon and two 13th century towers plus a chapel.  It also has a water tower where water could be raised from the river undercover and safe from attack.  In modern times the ruins were acquired by the local community and have undergone major reconstruction.  Beginning in 2008 the site opened to the public for a fee. 

During the 19th century this area was a favorite with artists and there are many paintings of it.  One of the artists mentioned was Armand Guillaumin (1841-1927) who painted about 140 landscapes and who resided in Crozant.  The Eguzon dam created Lake Chambon and paintings done after 1926 now include the lake.  Boat tours and dinner cruises around the lake are also available.

Thank you to my friend as always for sharing postcards.

For additional information, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crozant
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armand_Guillaumin