Château Déluge

This castle stands on the grounds of an abbey that was founded in the late 12th century. The abbey was dissolved in the late 18th century during the French Revolution and the buildings were put on the market as national property. The new owner ordered to have the majority of the abbey demolished and use salvageable materials to turn one of the buildings into a private castle. In the early 20th century, after removing all of the precious original furniture, the castle was turned into an accomodation for handicapped teenagers. I couldn’t find out exactly how long building has been abandoned but approximately it has been for twenty years. You’d think it would be much longer by looking at the extreme state of disrepair. 

When I saw some photos from other adventurers I knew that this was a place for me. The moss, the mold, the textures and the crazy colours of decay are exactly what I look for in this hobby. What I didn’t know is how hard it was going to be to actually get to the castle. It was a bloody fight against many fences, leaving our hands penetrated by the little spikes on top. Finding a way inside took a good while too, all at the risk of being spotted by the owners living on the same grounds. Clearly they try to keep people out for some reason. Once inside it became clear why; the building is collapsing. Huge wooden beams are dropping from the roof straight through the floors beneath. How official ‘protected heritage’ can be left in a state like this is beyond me.