La Rochefoucauld, Charente
Encyclopedia
La Rochefoucauld is a commune
in the Charente
department in southwestern France
.
It lies very close to the line which delineated occupied France and Vichy France
during World War II
.
The site was first used around 980 by Fucaldus, younger brother of the Viscount of Limoges
. Fucaldus set up a fortified camp on the rock and called it Fucaldus in rupe, or Foucald's Rock.
Early in the 11th century, the son of Fucaldus built a square keep, still identifiable at the heart of the present site. Two entrance towers were built from 1350, with three angle towers following, along with a heightening of the keep, in 1453. Galleries and a grand staircase, the latter attributed to designs by Leonardo da Vinci
, were added in 1520. Much of the mediaeval building was demolished in 1615 when the courtyard was opened out and improvements were made to honour a visit by Louis XIII of France
. There was some rebuilding in 1760, following a fire.
Following subsidence problems affecting the keep in the 1960s, the building is currently in the midst of restoration, during which time one wing remains a family home and much of the rest is open to the public. Guided tours of the libraries are sometimes available, and there are costumes for children and adults to wear during their exploration of the rest of the public areas, which include several furnished rooms, and some of the foundations within the rock.
dealership which is open to the public 365 days of the year and is decorated with motoring memorabilia, functioning essentially as a free-to-enter motor museum.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Charente
Charente
Charente is a department in southwestern France, in the Poitou-Charentes region, named after the Charente River, the most important river in the department, and also the river beside which the department's two largest towns, Angoulême and Cognac, are sited.-History:Charente is one of the original...
department in southwestern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
It lies very close to the line which delineated occupied France and Vichy France
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Etymology
The village takes its name from the large chateau above the village, which is partially open to the public. It is also still inhabited by the Duke and Duchess.The site was first used around 980 by Fucaldus, younger brother of the Viscount of Limoges
Limoges
Limoges |Limousin]] dialect of Occitan) is a city and commune, the capital of the Haute-Vienne department and the administrative capital of the Limousin région in west-central France....
. Fucaldus set up a fortified camp on the rock and called it Fucaldus in rupe, or Foucald's Rock.
Population
Chateau
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
, were added in 1520. Much of the mediaeval building was demolished in 1615 when the courtyard was opened out and improvements were made to honour a visit by Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1610 to 1643.Louis was only eight years old when he succeeded his father. His mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent during Louis' minority...
. There was some rebuilding in 1760, following a fire.
Following subsidence problems affecting the keep in the 1960s, the building is currently in the midst of restoration, during which time one wing remains a family home and much of the rest is open to the public. Guided tours of the libraries are sometimes available, and there are costumes for children and adults to wear during their exploration of the rest of the public areas, which include several furnished rooms, and some of the foundations within the rock.
Other village features
In the village is a classic carClassic car
A classic car is an older car; the exact meaning is variable. The Classic Car Club of America maintains that a car must be between 20 and 40 years old to be a classic, while cars over 45 years fall into the Antique Class.- Classic Car Club of America :...
dealership which is open to the public 365 days of the year and is decorated with motoring memorabilia, functioning essentially as a free-to-enter motor museum.
See also
- François de La Rochefoucauld (cardinal)François de La Rochefoucauld (Cardinal)François de La Rochefoucauld was a French Cardinal and an "important figure in the French Counter Reformation church".-Life:...
- François de La Rochefoucauld (writer)François de La Rochefoucauld (writer)François VI, Duc de La Rochefoucauld, Prince de Marcillac was a noted French author of maxims and memoirs. The view of human conduct his writings describe has been summed up by the words "everything is reducible to the motive of self-interest", though the term "gently cynical" has also been applied...
- Communes of the Charente department