La Roche Castle

La Roche Castle, locally known as Château de la Roche, lies on an islet in the Lake Villerest reservoir, in the Loire department in France.

Built between 1256 and 1291 by the first line of the lords of La Roche, modest vassals of the Counts of Forez, the castle was first mentioned in 1260. In 1290, Girard de La Roche paid homage to the Count of Forez for the family stronghold, which also served as a feudal toll station for river traffic. At that time, it sat atop a rocky pinnacle high above the wild Loire River and was connected to the right bank only by a drawbridge.

From the 15th century onward, La Roche was held by the De Vernoilles family, and its importance gradually diminished. By 1707, the descendants left behind a severely dilapidated and uninhabitable castle due to a lack of resources and maintenance. Around that time, the bed of the Loire River had been cleared of rocks to improve navigation. However, this caused damaging floods. Therefore, in 1711, the old drawbridge was replaced by the current dike.

In 1755, La Roche Castle passed to the La Rivollière family, who added a classical-style wing. Thirty years later, it was sold to a bourgeois family, the Bouvets. During a major flood in 1790, the waters reportedly reached the first floor, causing significant damage. The castle gradually declined during the 19th century and eventually fell into ruin. However, at the beginning of the 20th century, a Roanne industrialist named Paul Roustan purchased and restored it as his secondary residence, transforming it into the Neo-Gothic castle we see today.

In the 1930s, a dam in the Loire designed to regulate water levels was planned further downstream, and since the castle was to be submerged, its residents were evicted. By 1965, the dam still had not been built, and the project was taken over by the French national power company. The castle remained abandoned and was subject to vandalism and flooding over the following years. The dam was finally completed in 1984, and the waters began to rise. Due to local opposition, the castle, originally doomed to disappear under the reservoir's waters, was saved and restored, with the water level lowered to allow year-round access. However, this does not always prevent flooding, and the castle has been flooded several times in recent decades.

Currently, La Roche Castle offers theatrical guided tours focused on the castle around 1900, as well as escape games and private events.

So, this is basically a 'modern' castle with a medieval origin. I didn't take the theatrical guided tour, so I don't know what medieval features are still inside. I suspect very few. But because it looks picture-perfect, it's still a nice castle to visit. In summer, it can get very crowded with tourists.

Gallery