My knowledge of Sedan was limited to the Franco Prussian war of 1870. When we visited the city on our Battle of the Bulge tour I actually learned that the Chateau de Sedan is the largest fortress in Europe! To make things even better, part of the fortress is now a hotel so we were able to stay overnight in the castle.
Visiting the Chateau
There is a car park inside the Chateau de Sedan courtyard for hotel guests and plenty of parking just outside the walls in the town itself. The castle has a gift shop and a very nice cafe which I can recommend.
My Experience
My notes from the above blog are:
“I thought the sat nav was being silly as it seemed to be directing us to a park but we eventually found our hotel, through one of the gates of the Sedan fortress and in an old barrack block. We were too early to check in but we just crossed the courtyard into the castle of Sedan.
Apparently the largest medieval fortification in Europe the tour route was good and took us through the main buildings and the across the ramparts. I didn’t realise Sedan was an independent duchy for so long and then it was of course taken over by the French and mellow Protestantism replaced with absolutist Catholicism. There was lots of good information in the castle and most importantly, a cafe that did waffles almost as good as Ghent!
We walked into Sedan for dinner and were amazed at how quiet it was – 7PM in the evening and pretty much deserted! Tomorrow we’re off to Verdun.”
It is well worth doing the tour of the castle interior but also walking around the ramparts and exterior. It really is a huge fortress and the model inside shows the scale of the 1870 defences.
Photo Gallery
History
These notes are taken from the official site listed below:
“Solid and imposing, Sedan castle dominates the town with its impressive stature. It took one and a half centuries, starting in 1424 and with successive additions, to build this monument, the largest feudal fortress in Europe.
Let us be the judge: its 35,000 m2 enclosure could accommodate up to 4,000 men, well protected behind the impressive walls, the “thinnest” of which is 7 metres wide, and the thickest nearly 27 metres! The castle belonged to the princes of Sedan and became French in 1642 when the principality of Sedan was incorporated with the kingdom of France.”
References
The official Chateau de Sedan website is here
The Wikipedia page is here
There is an excellent article on the fortifications of the Sedan area here. The description includes visits to the Maginot site at Villy La Fuerte.