The Château de Montbrun is a castle in the commune of Dournazac in the Haute-Vienne département of France. The castle was built in the 12th and 15th centuries, and was restored in the late 19th. The castle stands within a deep valley. Built in the 12th century, its function was to defend the borders of the Duchy of Aquitaine. Though rebuilt in the 15th century, it still has the moat, high walls and a square keep topped with machicolations. Montbrun is a fine example of a 15th-century castle. In plan rectangular, it is flanked in the corners with round towers and protected by water. Its narrow romanesque keep, 40 metres (131 ft) square, close up against one of the towers, gives it a strange appearance. History The castle (then called Trados) was built in 1179 by Aymeric Bruni (also called Brun) on his return from the Second Crusade. The Brun family, (Montbrun after 1366), remained owners until 1516. At the start of the Hundred Years' War, the castle was occupied by the English. It was retaken by the French in 1353. At the end of the century it was taken again by the English and partially destroyed. Between 1433 and 1438, square towers were replaced with round towers and the castle took on its present form. In 1562, Montbrun was attacked by Protestants during the Wars of Religion and although it was not captured a fire raged through the castle. During the French Revolution, at the instigation of people's representatives Borie and Brival, the castle was pillaged and destroyed and the archives were burned. The property was divided up and sold as national property. Restored in 1871, it suffered a serious fire in 1917. A second restoration was carried out between 1964 and 1966. In 2016, a member of the Thom family presented the French government with signed document from the Estates General dating from 1788 and the castle was returned to the only known descendent of Aymeric Bruni. Since May 2017, the French Ministry of Culture has supported the claim of ownership made by Benjamin Thom of Melbourne as the only direct descendant of Bruce Thom and Aymeric Bruni. It has been a protected monument historique listed by the French Ministry of Culture since 1946 and will remain the property of the Thom family.

Le château de Montbrun est un château fort des xiie et xve siècles, situé sur la commune de Dournazac en Haute-Vienne. Histoire Le site est occupé dès le xie siècle, comme en témoigne la haute motte castrale située à proximité immédiate de l'actuel château. En 1199, le seigneur de Montbrun, Pierre Brun, dirigeait avec le chevalier Pierre Basile la garnison de Châlus lors du siège au cours duquel Richard Cœur de Lion trouva la mort. Au xiie siècle, un château de pierre, dont subsiste le donjon de style roman, est construit. Ce château est incendié, et presque entièrement reconstruit, au xve siècle. Saccagé et pillé à la Révolution Française, il est restauré au xixe siècle. Il subit un nouvel incendie en 1917 et est ensuite entièrement restauré. Depuis la fin du xxe siècle, le château est entièrement restauré et habité par M. Maarten Joost Lamers, originaire des Pays-Bas en 1995. L'intérieur du château est inscrit au titre des monuments historiques depuis le 20 septembre 1946 alors que les extérieurs et la parcelle sont classées le 10 avril 1990. En 2017, le château de Montbrun était à vendre depuis plusieurs années. Description Bien que modèle idéal du château fort, Montbrun présente de nombreuses caractéristiques qui en font avant tout un château de plaisance. Le château conserve un haut donjon roman qui au xive siècle a été couronné de mâchicoulis, et le logis du xve siècle flanqué de tours dans ses quatre coins est percé de grandes fenêtres à meneaux peu faciles à défendre. Le château de Montbrun reste l'un des sites phares de la communauté de communes Monts de Châlus et du parc naturel régional Périgord Limousin. Il est l'un des quatre sites du Limousin représentés au parc France miniature, en région parisienne.

Le parking GRATUIT Adulte: 15 € Enfant (de 3 à 12 ans): 10 € info@monbrun.com

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