il était une fois
The medieval castle
The first castle of Montbozon was probably built around 950 by the Dukes of Burgundy. It controlled the crossing over the Ognon, over which a bridge had existed since the High Middle Ages. According to a text from 1291, the “chastel” of Montbozon consisted of extensive grounds surrounding a keep, stone and wooden houses, barns, gardens and a chapel.
The castle stood for 680 years and was continuously maintained and completed according to the latest developments in military technology of the different eras. For most of this time, it was under the suzerainty of the Dukes of Burgundy.
Until it was destroyed in 1479 by the troops of Louis XI in the War of the Burgundian Succession. Although Louis XI had to return the Free County to Mary of Burgundy, the rightful heir of Charles the Bold, in 1493, the castle was not rebuilt. For two centuries it fell into ruin. All that remains of the original castle today is a rectangular hill 75 m long and 50 m wide, surrounded on two sides by the remains of a moat.
et aujourd’hui
Chateau de Montbozon
The present castle was built at the end of the 17th century. According to tradition, Louis XIV visited his conquests in 1679 and also passed by Montbozon. At that time, a de Vaudrey was the only representative of the old lordship of Montbozon. He received Louis XIV, showed him the ruins of the old castle and asked the king for permission to build a house on the site. Alternatively, Louis XIV suggested that he remove the ruins and build a house in their place on such a beautiful site. The content of this memorable conversation has not survived, but as soon as the king had departed, de Vaudrey commissioned an architect to build the new castle.
The location was -and still is- fantastic: the castle, oriented towards the valley, has a unique view of the beautiful Ognon valley. The architect designed a simple but impressive building, flanked (originally) by two towers. The eastern tower collapsed at the end of the 19th century and was not rebuild.
