Journalist is above all a job of meeting people. Encounters that are sometimes funny, sometimes moving, often surprising… But the one that struck me the most this year is not really an encounter like the others.
Because on this Monday, February 12, it is not with a person that I have an appointment, but with a castle: that of Louère in Montbard. At least that’s how the place was presented to me. And that's probably why I struggled so hard to find it, looking, I admit, for a monument a little more imposing than this old building which, at first glance, had a castle in name only.
A castle far from dreaming
However, when I arrived, I noticed that I was not the only one who had made the trip. And although I'm only about ten minutes late, there are already many of them wandering around inside this big bourgeois house.
It must be said that the opportunity is too good to pass up, since the castle, as it is called, will be offered at auction a few days later, with a price set at only €20,000. A sum which, I admit, seems quite high to me given the state in which the building is found. Castle life certainly, but not at any price either.
In some places, I notice that there are no longer even doors or windows, which accelerates the deterioration of the building, surrounded by very dense vegetation. I end up seeing the entrance into which I will have to enter, but it doesn't really tempt me. Between the dust, the rubble, the rubbish and the presence of dry rot which has just been confirmed to me, you really have to be motivated to dare to go inside and I imagine that the laryngitis from which I suffered that day would not Didn't help me much either… But I held on and decided to enter. Not without some acrobatics, since access is hampered by a heavy wooden door spread out on the ground.
This little fairy who marked my mind
I'll be honest: the first few minutes are complicated, punctuated by repeated coughing fits and sneezing. However, the place exudes something that pushes me to continue the visit. As I go through the rooms, I am surprised to discover that the building, which notably housed a retirement home before becoming a residential home, still reveals some signs of this past life. Books, some furniture… Nostalgia quickly takes over. Further on, I am intrigued by a little purple fairy drawn on the wall of a room. More than just an image, this one left an impression on me because of its very good state of preservation, but also because in such a dismal place, you don't expect to find this kind of thing. A message of hope?
Auctioned twice, in 2017 then in 2022, when its condition was much better, the Château de la Louère never found a buyer. And, unfortunately, the new test undertaken in March 2024 was not more conclusive. But because we must always maintain hope, the fourth attempt was obviously the right one: on Wednesday July 3, it only took 90 seconds… and €69,301 for the sale to be concluded. Just enough time to let the good fairy wave her magic wand?
