Pierrefonds is just a 15 minute drive (45 minutes by bike) from Soucy, and is said to be one of the most visited monuments in France. It was built in the 14th century for Louis D'Orléans, brother of King Charles VI, and was demolished two-hundred years later by Louis XIII. Napoleon III bought the ruined castle in 1813 for under 3,000 Francs, and entrusted Viollet-le-Duc with its restoration, who rebuilt it along the lines of a medieval fortress. The surrounding forest and a small lake add to the area's charms. In WWI the area served as one of 3 hospitals for wounded French soldiers. The castle was also the inspiration for the castle at Disneyland.
Outside Pierrefonds
Water spout (on the left) inside the courtyard of Pierrefond
Laon: a city, high on a hill and in the north-east corner of France. The hilly district of Laon has always had some strategic importance. In the time of Caesar there was a Gallic village where the inhabitants had to meet the onset of the confederated Belgae. Whatever may have been the precise locality of that battlefield, Laon was fortified by the Romans, and successively checked the invasions of the Franks, Burgndians, Huns, and others. It contains many medieval buildings. The most important of these is the cathedral Notre-Dame de Laon, dating mostly from the 12th and 13th centuries. The picture above is of the chapel of the Templars belonging to the 12th century. The area was occupied by the Germans for most of WWI.
Pierrefonds is just a 15 minute drive (45 minutes by bike) from Soucy, and is said to be one of the most visited monuments in France. It was built in the 14th century for Louis D'Orléans, brother of King Charles VI, and was demolished two-hundred years later by Louis XIII. Napoleon III bought the ruined castle in 1813 for under 3,000 Francs, and entrusted Viollet-le-Duc with its restoration, who rebuilt it along the lines of a medieval fortress. The surrounding forest and a small lake add to the area's charms. In WWI the area served as one of 3 hospitals for wounded French soldiers. The castle was also the inspiration for the castle at Disneyland.
Outside Pierrefonds
Water spout (on the left) inside the courtyard of Pierrefond
Laon: a city, high on a hill and in the north-east corner of France. The hilly district of Laon has always had some strategic importance. In the time of Caesar there was a Gallic village where the inhabitants had to meet the onset of the confederated Belgae. Whatever may have been the precise locality of that battlefield, Laon was fortified by the Romans, and successively checked the invasions of the Franks, Burgndians, Huns, and others. It contains many medieval buildings. The most important of these is the cathedral Notre-Dame de Laon, dating mostly from the 12th and 13th centuries. The picture above is of the chapel of the Templars belonging to the 12th century. The area was occupied by the Germans for most of WWI.
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