La Mothe-Chandeniers, complete with moat and huge estate, has been saved from a developer’s bulldozer by a crowd-funding campaign that raised €500,000 to buy it. Next comes restoration, and likely another fund drive.
The crumbling structure, dating in part to the 13th century, is about 200 miles south of Paris in the Charentes region. The ‘Dartagnans,’ a cultural heritage conservation organization, led the fund drive that raised the money from over 7400 investors, who contributed €50 or more.
In its long history, the castle was twice captured by English forces in the 15th century. It was ransacked and left in ruins during the French Revolution, and then rebuilt by a Parisian businessman. A later owner, in the 1870s, gave it a reputation as a party palace, but that ended with a fire that destroyed almost all in 1932. Subsequent owners have had dreams, but not the funds, to restore it.
Photo: Pierre Mairé/Wikimedia
