Castle Chalais

Chalais, France, Switzerland

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Château de Chalais is a historic castle overlooking the town of Chalais in the Charente region of southwestern France, originally constructed in the 11th century and rebuilt in the 16th century by François de Talleyrand after destruction during the Hundred Years' War.

Serving as the ancestral seat of the influential Talleyrand-Périgord family for six centuries including diplomat Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand, it features a working 16th-century drawbridge, one of France's few remaining, along with a gatehouse, quadrangular buildings, and a square tower classified as a historic monument.

Acquired in 2011 by comedian Yves Lecoq, who continues its restoration, the privately owned site opens seasonally for guided tours revealing family anecdotes and medieval passageways amid scenic countryside.