Guide To France’s Château de Coucy

Once more unto the breach! I have to tell you all about visiting the Chateau Coucy, a must see ruin not too far from Paris.

Chateau Coucy is a 13th century French castle in the Picardy region of France. It was once the grandest defensive fortification in France.

It’s a perfect day trip from Paris actually, if you’re a history buff looking for off the beaten path things to do.

https://www.thegeographicalcure.com/post/day-trips-from-paris-that-are-magical-but-less-touristy
ruins of Coucy Chateau

Fueled by ruin lust, my travel partner and I were on such a quest. We were touring northern France on a geographical cure. Nerds that we are, we had a single target in mind.

We were determined, determined beyond reason really, to visit the Château de Coucy. The Chateau was the home of Enguerrand de Coucy VII, the star of Barbara Tuchman’s magnificent narrative history book The Distant Mirror.

We are super fans of the book. We even named our car Enguerrand in anticipation of the blessed event.

Let me tell you, that is a real commitment to geekdom. Do you have any idea how hard it is to say Enguerrand with a proper French accent?

nature lovers can appreciate the beautiful countryside before hitting the ruins
nature lovers can appreciate the beautiful countryside before hitting the ruins

The Calamitous Middle Ages

Tuchman’s book l is set in what she calls the “calamitous” 14th century and Enguerrand is her hero. She uses the narrative of his life as a vehicle to explore the many facets of medieval life and culture.

The 14th century is a fascinating period. It was a violent, tormented time of suffering. It featured the Black Death in 1384-50, which killed a third of the population living between India and Iceland.

cover page of the book A Distant Mirror

It was a time of political destabilization, dynastic uncertainty, and economic and social inequality. Men died at war; women died in childbirth. In a nutshell, it was “a bad time for humanity.”

But it was not entirely a time of ignorance. It wasn’t all famines and pestilence. To the contrary. The Middle Ages were a dynamic period during which the idea of Europe as a distinct cultural unit emerged.

It was the age of Gothic architecture, secular and religious institutions, and the soaring intellectual achievements of St. Thomas Aquinas. The Islamic world grew powerful and produced some of Europe’s best architecture, The Royal Alcazar in Seville and the mighty Alhambra in Granada.

The Middle Ages had stuff going on. Enter Enguerrand de Coucy VII and the greatest fortress of the middle ages.

There are no portraits or photos or likenesses of dear Enguerrand. All I can give you is his family crest.
There are no portraits or photos or likenesses of dear Enguerrand. All I can give you is his family crest.

Enguerrand de Coucy

Enguerrand de Coucy VII was a French nobleman and illustrious warrior. He was the last man standing in the great Coucy dynasty. He was called the “most experienced and skillful of all the knights in France.”

Enguerrand became son-in-law to King Edward III of England after marrying his daughter Isabella. This gave him great connections.

But Isabella was “an over-indulged, willful, and wildly extravagant princess.” Enguerrand was subsequently made Earl of Bedford and inducted into the Order of the Garter.

the last medieval crusade, defeat at the Battle of Nicopolis
the last medieval crusade, defeat at the Battle of Nicopolis

Enguerrand was chivalrous, chivalry being a dominant political idea of the ruling class.

The ideal was a vision of order maintained by warriors who served as defenders of the faith, of upholders of justice. But often the annointed warriors became oppressors.

Enguerrand participated in the last medieval crusade, against the Ottoman armies of Bayezid. It ended disastrously when his soldiers didn’t follow orders.

Enguerrand was captured and died in 1397 before he could be ransomed. He had no male heirs.

the entrance of the Chateau de Coucy
the entrance of the Chateau de Coucy

Enguerrand was also the lord of the incredible Château de Coucy. He inherited the fiercesome fortress upon the death of his father, Enguerrand VI in 1346. At the time, the chateau was considered a spectacular architectural achievement.

Guide To The Château de Coucy

1. Where is Coucy Chateau?

The Château de Coucy is located two hours north of Paris, between the towns of Laon and Soissons in the Aisne department of France. (Laon is a village all nerds will love, by the way.)

Steeped in history, the chateau has been listed as a historical monument by the French Ministry of Culture since 1862.

It would make a great day trip from Paris. It’s 2 hours away and located near Laon, Reims, Chateau de Fere, and Chateau de Pierrefonds. You could easily do two of these sites in one day.

entrance to the Chateau de Coucy
Almost inside!

2. History of Coucy Chateau

Château de Coucy was the mightiest fortress in France, the greatest castle of the Middle Ages.

Doesn’t this fact alone mandate a visit? Yet, in April almost no one was there and we had the place to ourselves.

During its heyday, Coucy Chateau was famous for the size of its donjon and the pride of the Coucy lords. They had a bold motto, which translates to “I am not king, nor prince nor duke nor count; I am the Lord of Coucy.”

a remaining tower of the Chateau de Coucy
Once upon a time, Coucy had 33 towers and ramparts over two kilometers long

The chateau is mostly in ruins now. In 1917, it was occupied by German forces.

As a parting shot, the retreating Germans detonated the keep with 28 tons of explosives.

The Chateau de Coucy Flickr account has a photo of the chateau being destroyed. The public was so outraged that the ruins were declared “a memorial to barbarity.”

a watercolor rendering of Chateau de Coucy in the calamitous middle ages
a watercolor rendering of the magnificent Chateau de Coucy in the Middle Ages

Why would someone want to visit ruins? Well, personally we had serious ruin lust — a taste for heroic destruction and picturesque decay. Ruins are romantic and sometimes melancholy.

They put your imagination to use, rather than just eyeballing an ornate gold leaf Baroque church. And sometimes ruins tell more affecting stories than a perfectly coiffed building.

The French philosopher Denis Diderot wrote: “The ideas ruins evoke in me are grand. Everything comes to nothing, everything perishes, everything passes, only the world remains, only time endures.”

Château de Coucy dates back to 920. It was built to protect the territory of the Coucy family.

the ramparts and a remaining tower of the Chateau de Coucy
the ramparts and a remaining tower of the Chateau de Coucy

In 1220, Enguerrand III enclosed the town and extended the existing castle with a huge keep. Then, in the 1370s, Enguerrand VII modernized and transformed the château into an extravagant palace fortress.

In 1400, after Enguerrand’s death, the Duke of Orléans bought the chateau and completed the work begun by Enguerrand. In 1498, the chateau became Crown property.

During the French Revolution, it was transformed into a prison. In 1829, King Louis-Philippe purchased the chateau. It was renovated by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, the famous restorer of Notre Dame and Carcassonne.

The site has extensive information placards with historical photos, reconstruction images and text in English. You’ll get a heavy dose of history.

my travel partner James doing his required reading. The ruins of the Great Hall are in the background.
My nerd friend James doing his required reading. The ruins of the Great Hall are in the background.

3. What To See at Coucy Chateau

On its hilltop perch, you can see the outline of Coucy Chateau from miles away. The chateau is accessed via the Gate of Master Odon.

Here, you can admire a scale model of the stronghold. Several corner towers and their subterranean vaults can be entered, as well as the shell of the lofty great hall.

The sheer scale of the place is stunning. The south and west front of the massive lower court once boasted eight towers. The towers had rib vaulted chambers with arrow loops.

The towers of the west front have dislocated from the wall due to bad foundation. It is a surreal sight to see them lying in the grass, as if the German bombing happened yesterday.

The donjon was completely destroyed. It once stood 15 meters high. At the top was a parapet with pointed crenellations.

peaking through the window at the remains of the chateau's curtain wall
peaking through the window at the remains of the chateau’s curtain wall
a slit for arrows to pummel invaders
a slit for arrows to pummel invaders

Inside the castle are the ruins of a 13th century chapel. There are four underground spaces, two spaces for exhibitions and restoration work and two dungeons.

Toward the end of A Distant Mirror, Tuchman compared Enguerrand to George Washington for his “steadiness, sagacity and competence.”

Enguerrand was a flickering light in sometimes dark times — no matter that his only monuments now are a book and a ruined castle.

If you have a case of ruin lust, put the Château de Coucy on your to do list.

Who could possibly resist a medieval dungeon?
Who could possibly resist a medieval dungeon?

Practical Guide & Tips for Visiting the Château de Coucy

Address

Rue Chateau, 02389 Coucy-le-Chateau-Affrique France

Opening times

Daily: (Closed for lunch) May to September from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm & 2:00 pm to 6:30 pm September 5 to April 30 closing at 5:30 pm Last admission 45 mn before closing

Ticket Information

Adult ticket: 5.50 € Reduced ticket: 4.00 €

How To Get To Chateau de Coucy

From Paris, it’s a an approximately 1.5 hour drive. You can also take the train from Paris Nord.

Website

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8 thoughts on “Guide To France’s Château de Coucy”

  1. Thank you for this post.Far away in New Zealand I’d never heard of the place until I just started reading today ‘A Distant Mirror’.Will have to plan a visit hopefully!

    Reply
    • It’s definitely a hidden gem in France. I’m sure most people haven’t heard of it. I just wanted to visit because of the novel.

      Reply
  2. I just this minute finished A Distant Mirror and wanted to see pics of Coucy’s ruins and found your post. I had no idea of the scale and size of the place. Amazing! Great pics and write up ( typo of the plague years no biggie.) much appreciated!

    Reply

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