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Chateau de Lanquais, Couze-et-Saint-Front
Medieval & Renaissance style chateau in the heart of Dordogne
Self-titled as the "Unfinished Louvre in Périgord", this château combines medieval fortifications with an incomplete Renaissance palace.
Built by the architects who designed the Louvre, the catholic-style palace was apparently attacked by Protestants during construction, leaving its façade badly damaged. The building works were never completed. Two of its impressive rooms have been converted into bedrooms where guests can stay.
The construction of the castle took place over very different periods, which explains the juxtaposition of a medieval castle and the beginning of a Renaissance palace in the Italian style.
In front of the facade of the courtyard of the castle, you can see the difference between the two periods:
- To the right, a medieval castle built in the 12th century and a tower staircase from the 15th century
- Then on the left, a Renaissance castle built in the 16th century (the building recalls the Lescot wing in the Louvre)
- In the 19th century, utility buildings were added
