The 13th and 14th century France was characterized with phenomenal growth in architectural designs. King Philip II was particularly fond of grandiose in whatever he did. This led to the blossoming of the French architecture as we know it today.

800 years later, perhaps this is what has led Michel Guyot to think of restoring his Saint-Fargeau property using 13th century architectural designs. He has furthered his activities by contracting a famous architect, Jacques Moulin to come up with a castle named Guedelon, that is only to be constructed using materials, workmanship, tools and techniques available locally in Treigny in France.

When complete in 2020, it is expected that the architectural marvel will resemble its 13th century counterparts.

This experimental project has created over 200 jobs and has become a center of attraction to sightseers, recording over 30,000 tourists per year. It has also become a magnet to students that are interested in studying medieval history. They reckon that it is better to see how France looked like in the period under study.

Michel Guyot's intention is to bring about a renaissance in forgotten archeological techniques while at the same time preserve the culture and building designs of ancient France.

To get to Guedelon, you need to prepare a concrete plan of how you are going to spend your time. You will need a plan for at least 3 days. Getting to Guedelon needs a rental car and since they are little bit expensive, you will need to use it for at least three days. Note that a 3-day rate is similar to a 1-day rate. From Paris, you can use a train to Auxerre. From here you will get a rental to take you to Guedelon.

Getting to know Europe is a dream of many travellers. You can start this dream at Guedelon before embarking on a complete European tour. France is a hospitable country with generous people. It is the romance capital of Europe and you will be glad you visited Guedelon first.

By Kennedy Runo on 04/21/2015 in France