Château d'Arnay-le-Duc

The castle was built under the reign of Francis I by Charles Merlan de Beaumont, a financial receiver and Lord of Juilly, and was inhabited by the Merlan family until 1562. In 1562, it passed to the Chabot-Charny family as payment for debts. Ten years later, in 1570, the future Henry IV visited the estate during the Battle of Arnay-le-Duc. Between 1634 and 1654, the castle belonged to the third Prince of Condé, who undertook extensive renovations. Although his son, the Great Condé, was Lord of Arnay, he never visited the castle. In 1655, Henri de Lorraine, Count of Harcourt, became the owner, followed by his son Charles de Lorraine, Viscount of Marsan, in 1678. In the mid-18th century, in May 1747, the castle briefly served as a prison for Dutch soldiers. In March 1756, Louis-Charles de Lorraine, Count of Brionne, left the estate, already stripped of its architectural elements, to the city for use as a town hall. After the French Revolution, it was sold as a national asset in 1792 and subsequently served as a textile factory. From 1865 to 1957, it housed a file factory, which became a significant employer in the region. Following extensive renovations by the municipality from 1958 to 1967, it was used as an educational center from 1967. In 2019, the castle was sold by the municipality and has served as a restaurant since 2022.

The Château d'Arnay-le-Duc is located in the commune of Arnay-le-Duc in the Côte-d’Or department in the Burgundy region of France. It stands at an elevation of approximately 373 meters above sea level.

Today, the Château d'Arnay-le-Duc is used by local authorities. It has also been a restaurant since 2022. The exterior grounds are visible from the street, but interior viewing is no longer possible since its sale.

• Château de Viévy (castle), approx. 9.8 km away
• Château d'Auxerain (castle), approx. 9.9 km away
• Château de Meilly-sur-Rouvres (castle), approx. 10.6 km away
• Château de Dracy-Saint-Loup (castle), approx. 17.3 km away