http://arras-france.com/olhain-castle-northern-france/

Click on the pictures to enlarge them.

Photo credit : Jeffrey J. Soulliere

This wooden gear wheel used to make the compactors turn in order to crush the wheat. It was built around 1,200 AC.

Photo credit : Jeffrey J. Soulliere

It is the best preserved medieval castle in northern France and represents one of the most beautiful jewels of the region’s historical heritage.

Click on the pictures to enlarge them.

This imposing castle was built in the hollow of a small valley, in the middle of a natural pond in which the river ‘Lawe’ flows into.

It is believed that the knight Simon d’Olhain built it first from 1179, probably a simple wooden keep. His son, Hugues, built the primitive castle when he returned from a crusade in 1202. The construction of the castle recommenced in 1239, when his son Jean d’Olhain added a castral chapel. This chapel was probably built in the courtyard of the castle but did not leave any trace as the castle was destroyed and burnt to a large extent during the Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453). It is only in the XIX century that a chapel in the castle was mentioned, which was preserved in the south-east tower. In 1280, Jean’s son, Jean II d’Olhain, founded in Verdrel a chapel dedicated to Saint Eloi. Finally, the lineage of the Olhain lords ended with Robert’s son, Jacques d’Olhain, since the only heiress of the property, Marie d’Olhain, married Jean de Nielles.

Jean de Nielles undertook the reconstruction of the castle from 1407. He also played an important role for the Duke of Burgundy, Jean Sans Peur. He started by advising him before becoming in-charge of the management of the Duke’s finances. He also became the Second President of the Accounts Chamber of Lille, the Duke’s Chamberlain and the governor of Arras in 1407. On 20th June 1407, Jean Sans Peur gave him oak trees from his wood in Wault, near Houdain, which allowed him to start the castle fortification. Jean de Nielles died a bit before 1423. He was inhumated in the church of Fresnicourt-le-Dolmen. His tombstone is located in the inner courtyard of the castle.

The castle was then entrusted to his first daughter, Marie de Nielles, who married Baudouin de Lannoy, a knight of the Golden Fleece and governor of Lille. He is said to have constructed the big towers or at least to have finished their construction. Marie de Nielles died in 1433 without descendence. Then the castle’s inheritance passed on to her sister Alix de Nielles, who for her second wedding, had married Jean de Berghes, leader of the King’s Hunting and knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece (the most prestigious distinction of Burgundy). When Alix de Nielles passed away, the castle’s inheritance passed on to her son, Jean de Berghes. This is how the Olhain property passed to the Berghes family till 1900.

From 1521 to 1529, the Spanish Emperor Charles Quint, a staunch Catholic, confiscated the castle. As Phillippe de Berghes, the then owner of the castle, and his family belonged to the French side and were Protestants; they could not reside in the castle. Only after their conversion to Catholicism, they got their property back but preferred to live somewhere else.

Around 1634, under French king Louis XIII and Richelieu started the Thirty Years’ War against Spain and the Emperor of Germany. In 1641, the governor of Arras seized the castle with about sixty riflemen from the Champagne Regiment and massacred all the Spanish soldiers who were there. In 1654, the Spanish troops recaptured the castle and blew up the two towers that were located in the fourth side of the castle enclosure. They have never been rebuilt.

Around 1700, Louise de Berghes married the Count “d’Artagnan”, governor of Arras (cousin of the famous King’s Musketeer). He is said to be buried in the middle of the castle’s inner courtyard. In 1710, the castle was once again besieged, and occupied by the Dutch at the time of Béthune’s capture. Ruined and burnt, the castle was restored from 1830 to 1843 and became the second home of the de Berghes family. In 1870, the last lord, Pierre Marie de Berghes, a 20-year-old Squadron Leader was killed during a cavalry charge. Since then, the castle was abandoned.

The castle was sold by auction in Paris. On 26 May 1900, it was bought by Mr Dartois. The land was to be sold with the castle, which was regarded as a ‘burden’. Mr Dartois entrusted the property to his nephew, Mr Jules Dutoit.

The Olhain castle was occupied by troops from the beginning of the First World War. For 4 years, troops and horses from the French, English and Canadian armies successively occupied the castle, as well as the outbuildings, farming buildings and neighbouring meadows. Numerous marks in the right and left wings of the castle testify these successive occupations. Multiple inscriptions from the soldiers are still visible in the attics of the right wing while the first floor of the left wing is riddled with bullet holes.

One of the observation posts.

At the end of the war, Jules Dutoit resumed the restoration work he had started. He started by doing up all the roofs, which had been left in a very poor condition. He also cultivated the lands and improved, little by little, the left wing where he resided with his family. In 1930, he built a house incorporated to the body of the farmyard, where the owners of the castle have been living since then.

Till 2004, it was Jules Dutoit’s son, Mr. Paul Dutoit, who was in charge of the castle’s maintenance and restoration work. During the Occupation, he started by draining the pond in order to repair all the immersed walls and continued to maintain the castle with great care. Today, it is his descendants who take care of the castle with the same passion.

Olhain castle’s drawbridge.

The castle, entirely made of sandstone, comprises two parts that are clearly separated: a farmyard, with its oval shape, and the castle itself. The castle was added to the Historical Monuments’ inventory in 1989. It has been opened to the public since 1954 for seven months a year:

- From April 1st to June 30th, and from September 1st to October 31st: on Sundays and public holidays from 3.00 pm to 6.30 pm.

- From July 1st to August 31st: on Saturdays and Sundays from 3.00 pm to 6.30 pm.

Photo credit : Jeffrey J. Soulliere

• The visitors will be able to walk along the water-filled moats, and to visit the farmyard and the castle: inner courtyard, chapel, vaulted caves, keep (101 steps) with its rooms at different floors, its attics and the observation post. There is a small fee for the visit: (4 € for the adults) and free for the accompanied children (till 12 years old). This amount is entirely meant for the castle’s maintenance. An average visit would take about 1.15 hour. It is not guided. A leaflet is distributed at the entrance to help the visitors. For buses/adult groups and schools, the castle is open the whole year after making an appointment. Ph: +33 (0)1.39.18.33.14 or +33 (0)3.21.27.94.76.

• Access to Olhain castle :

1) from Arras :

- Take the road D341 in the direction of Bruay and go through Mont-St-Eloi.
- Carry on till Camblain-l’Abbé and continue on the road D341.
- Cross the village of Estrée-Cauchy.
- At the entrance of the Gauchin-Legal village, turn right in the direction of Ohlain.
- At the stop sign, turn right toward Fresnicourt.
- At the top of the hill, turn right at the isolated house. The castle is about 100 metres away.

2) from Lille :

- Exit from Lille and take the A1/E17 in the direction of Lesquin/Lens/Reims/Paris/Douai/Centre Commercial/Centre Régional de Transport
- Passing near to Seclin
- Passing near to Carvin
- Take the A21 following the sign notice Douai/Lens
- Exit from A21 direction “Bruay la Buissière” and carry on the D301
- Passing near to Hénin-Beaumont
- Passing near to Lens
- Passing near to Bully-les-Mines
- Go through Hersin-Coupigny
- At the roundabout: turn left and carry on the D57.e
- Enter into Olhain and turn right and carry on D57. The castle is about 200 metres away on left.

For more information, you can visit the official website: http://www.chateau-olhain.com/

The golf in Le Touquet is located at the heart of a pine forest surrounded by wild dunes.

Le Touquet’s museum.

Le Touquet offers splendid and very large beaches of fine sand.

View of the Canche’s bay (in French: baie de Canche) from the Le Touquet’s dunes.

The city is reputed to be the most elegant holiday resort of northern France, the playground of rich Parisians, with many luxury hotels.

The Westminster hotel in Le Touquet seduces for its charm from the 30′.

Since the mid-1990s, Le Touquet’s villas have become extremely fashionable amongst architecture lovers throughout Europe, rediscovering the “folie” of seaside architecture of both the Roaring Twenties and the Thirties. The most famous local architect is Louis Quetelart, whose style was named after him: Louis Quetelart Style.

The resort was created in 1876 by Hippolyte de Villemessant (1812-1879), founder and owner of the famous Paris newspaper, Le Figaro. Everything started in October 1874 when his friend Jean-Baptiste Daloz invited him in his property in Le Touquet for a hunting party. Impressed by the exceptional beauty of the setting, Hippolyte de Villemessant suggested his friend to create a holiday resort and to name it « Paris-Plage ». This is how Jean-Baptiste Daloz created, in 1882, the first housing development.

In April 1837, Jean-Baptiste Daloz bought a huge land and planted, from 1855 to 1882, maritime pines, poplar and alder trees on more than 800 hectares. It’s him who created the famous forest of Le Touquet, which stabilized the sand dunes. Today, these 800 hectares are still covered by this forest.

“Le Touquet” comes from a Picard word meaning ‘corner’, and was originally applied to the area of coast nearby. It became known as “Paris by the sea”, and strict building regulations encouraged the most talented architects to create imaginative and innovative developments.

In 1903, an Englishman bought the land, and set out to sell properties to the rich from across the English Channel. In the 1920s, Noël Coward and the “smart set” from England spent weekends here, and commissioned more outstanding villa designs echoing traditional and ultra-modern domestic styles. Today the town tourist office offers organised trails to see outstanding examples of 19th and 20th century domestic architecture, which are now preserved and protected. Sayaji Rao III Gaekwar of Baroda also owned a house.

The famous houses in Le Touquet facing the beach.

Events :

Each year take place in Le Touquet the following events:

• A collection of giant sand sculptures from May to September. The theme is different every time. For more information, click on this link: http://arras-france.com/sand-sculptures-in-le-touquet-city-northern-france/

• The ‘Enduropale‘, undoubtedly the most prestigious motor bike racing event in the world. The race takes place every year, in February. For 3 hours, more than 800 bike riders from all over the world race on an incredibly difficult track on the beaches of north France. For more information about the Enduropale, click on this link: http://arras-france.com/the-enduropale-in-le-touquet/

• A kite world Championship in Berck-sur-Mer, a nearby city. The 24th edition (10-18 April 2010) was won by a British six man team called ‘The Scratch Bunnies’. Click on this link to watch pictures: http://arras-france.com/the-city-of-berck-sur-mer-kite-world-championship/

The market hall in Le Touquet (picture above).

Le Touquet’s main road: the road Saint Jean (in French: rue Saint Jean).

For more information about Le Touquet, you can visit the official website: http://www.letouquet.com/

Situated just to the north of the estuary of the river Authie, Berck has a huge expanse of sandy beach and impressive grassy-topped dunes facing north onto the English Channel. Berck comprises two parts – to the east, the old fishing town, Berck-Ville and to the west, the seaside area, Berck-sur-Mer. Berck lies at the centre of the Marquenterre regional park.

A former fishing harbour, Berck took on a therapeutic role in the treatment of tuberculosis during the Second Empire. The Maritime hospital was inaugurated in 1869 by Empress Eugenie. Other hospitals and benevolent institutes were soon created to cater for the sick and those in need of rest and recuperation. Today, although the hospital sector remains economically important, the city has turned towards tourism. A seaside bathing station, with an immense beach of fine sand on the Opal Coast, Berck is a paradise for lovers of land yachting and surfboarding.

Each year, the city organizes a kite World Championship in April, which is always a delight for the eyes! The 24th edition (10-18 April 2010) was won by a British six man team called ‘The Scratch Bunnies’.

Click on the pictures to enlarge them.

http://arras-france.com/the-lake-of-tignes-in-the-savoie-department/

It is reputed internationally for its ski resort. It is also appreciated for its natural lake, the “lac de Tignes” (2,100 m). The lake of Tignes is supplied with water by the Grande Motte’s glacier. In spite of being frozen 6 months a year, it is a plentiful food source, highly appreciated by fishermen.

Lake of Tignes in summer.

http://arras-france.com/the-barrage-of-roselend-savoie-department/