Guédelon

Guédelon is a unique historical construction site located in Treigny, Burgundy, France. Its primary purpose is the construction of a 13th-century castle using medieval techniques and tools. The project began in 1997 and is intended to take approximately 25 years to complete, mirroring the time it would have taken to build such a structure in the Middle Ages. Visitors can observe a wide range of traditional crafts in action, including stonemasonry, carpentry, blacksmithing, pottery, and more. Workers are dressed in period clothing and adhere to historical methods, with no modern machinery or materials permitted on site. The site itself is a working quarry for stone, and the timber used is sourced from the surrounding forests. Guédelon aims to educate the public about medieval construction methods and the daily lives of those who built such impressive structures. It serves as an open-air museum and a living history experiment, offering a hands-on experience of the past. The project is funded by visitor admissions and a dedicated association.