Owning a French castle: From dream to reality | You are here • FRANCE 24 English

France has more than 2,000 #castles of all kinds. Across the country, enthusiasts are willing to make huge sacrifices to become owners. A childhood dream for some, a family inheritance for others, or even for the love of old stones: everyone has their own reasons. However, once proud castle owners, all are faced with the same reality: these monuments are generally a huge financial burden. The smallest #renovation work usually costs millions of euros. As a result, today's owners are seeking innovative solutions - such as #crowdfunding - to make their castle last.
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[@infinitejest8012]

Big warning to everyone that want to buy a castle in France. I was about to buy one but apparently the French government don't want you to put crocodiles in the ponds surrounding the castle, for me it was a deal breaker.

[@olhermitte5857]

What a shame lmao

[@kyleterry5190]

So.....are alligators legal?

[@RashaKahn]

Switch to piranhas

[@brianpreston8483]

Not warm enough

[@Enigmaking]

Hol up

[@magnolia8626]

Strangely beautiful to see trees growing in the middle of that castle

[@saltymcsaltface]

A balance of chaos & order

[@garygrinkevich6971]

I love all the greenery

[@benjaminfacouchere2395]

That's also romanticism. It was a huge thing in the 19th century to build new ruins and let them overgrow.

[@StallionFernando]

Reminds of something out of Dark Souls

[@radicalraidz5268]

@@saltymcsaltface *order and chaos

[@StormWolf01]

I had a friend who used to live in a old castle (with a moat and everything). He was from the aristocracy (his dad was a baron), but his family didn't have much money left. They were 4 living in a castle that could host dozens of people. They couldn't maintain it. They were living in only a few rooms. About 85% of the castle wasn't used. They ended up selling it.

[@xythiera7255]

If you even find somebody who wants to buy it.

[@bananadesign2276]

You can call me at this number

[@thewildcardperson]

If they were having money troubles they should of rented some room out sounds like they had some to spare

[@komet5420]

that's kinda sad

[@timotiserty4520]

Thewildcard some people don.t have brain for bussines . i would sell as well it and move to cheap flat .

[@mbn9672]

That ruined castle with the trees in it looks so beautiful

[@amdiary7]

It is ! I’ve been there multiple times and it was like a fantasy movie coming to life.

[@Smitty19966]

I got no problem with millionaires preserving our history.

[@Hummelmann206]

It would be better they pay their fair amount of taxes. With that money all castles could be restored and opened to the public.

[@owbeer]

@@Hummelmann206 laughs in politician

[@richardmangelmann4975]

@@Hummelmann206 Im just gonna say something as a German here, I don't know how it is in your country but here rich people already say more taxes and they want them to pay even more, its getting ridiculous. Someone who mostly isn't paying anything anywhere are the big corporations, those who really bring all the money

[@dv9239]

@@owbeer let's be honest most people elect these politicians for their own agenda or freebies or it's a community decision We can blame both the parties

[@GForce162]

These castle owner would be happy to sell their bad asset to idiot with too much money to burn. these castle are pain in the ass to maintain, and dare you not to make a single change to it

[@Bob.martens]

Surprises in old houses are almost never pleasant. These castles are nightmares once woken up.

[@AryanisLeo]

So creepy to be true.

[@Stellar-Cowboy]

@@AryanisLeo yall are too superstitious

[@BenDover-wm7wf]

ghosts with guillotines?

[@morpheusto3360]

@@BenDover-wm7wf off with the head

[@StallionFernando]

@@Stellar-Cowboy nothing to do with superstition, just logical that over time they would begin to deteriorate and once you try to restore them you are bound to find more problems than you originally thought.

[@Slothian]

the place with moat looks amazing but would be a nightmare to restore

[@Mico605]

They irony of that castle burning down while being surrounded by water lol

[@CB-rv2lj]

are you surprised when islands start on fire too.

[@hanszer0729]

Bruh, what a logic

[@couchgamingnews9379]

@John Gabriel Santelices lol

[@swahilimaster]

If I owned a castle I would 100% make it into a hotel/restaurant, there's no way tourists could resist something like that.

[@geebo3807]

That’s exactly what the owner of Castle Loma did here Toronto

[@Perich29]

great idea and make more money that way.

[@mejvismija2548]

I would make it a bed and breakfast

[@beautybonvoyage8624]

Thats what many owners of these sort of things do:) You can even have a partial living area for yourself.

[@ScythianGryphon]

I think the second castle looks much better with trees growing on its premises. It's look tells the story of this place better than a hundred books.

[@amdiary7]

I’ve been visiting La Mothe Chandeniers multiple times, it was a life changing experience each time. I’m fascinated with castles but every time I visited this particular one it was like a dream coming to life. It truly looks like it comes from a fantasy movie and the atmosphere there is just so ethereal, it’s unreal.

[@mikeef747]

"In 1932 the castle was ravaged by fire, after that it was claimed by nature" Did Nature get the proper permits before reclaiming the castle, if not, I think we have a double-standard here!

[@Zanian19]

I've considered buying a castle, but the vast majority of them, while technically affordable, cost several times as much to restore. Even the ones that look ready, need so much modernisation to make them actually livable. And it's not exactly something you can do yourself, unless you're ready to spend the next decade or so tirelessly working on it.

[@dt9327]

The second castle looks like a RPG mystery location.

[@StallionFernando]

Dark Souls

[@AryanisLeo]

Ok , So Now I have dropped the idea of buying a French Castle.

[@xythiera7255]

Buying it is not the expensive part.

[@wellmakeitworth1316]

@@xythiera7255 repair though, will cost something

[@Enigmaking]

How much is a french castle to buy, not restore just buy?

[@paulmartin6006]

It’s depend of the castel but you can find one easily for around 700.000 euro. And éven less

[@Enigmaking]

@@paulmartin6006 thanks Paul

[@Gastell0]

Dream: I want a castle Reality: It's freaking expensive

[@metalfusionf]

Always has been.

[@xythiera7255]

The castel is not the expensive part. You flash millions every year down to maintain it thats were your money goes.

[@TheGeorge980]

Me in Uk: Dream: I want a house. Reality: it’s freaking expensive.

[@gabrielalmeida5047]

@@TheGeorge980 Me in Brazil: Dream: i want minimal quality of life. Reality: it's freaking expensive.

[@cayennenaturetrails8953]

lol :)

[@AlexS-oj8qf]

My family owned various castles, palaces. and estates across 4 countries. What I can tell you is that these structures aren't built to be efficient. One of our property are specifically designed so it could employ a lot of people and once the workforce shifted away from these estates, things crumble real quick.

[@lucylilith5101]

What did you mean by the last line? That the place needs a certain number of workforce to be maintained or it literally needs people on the site or else it crumbles? I'm so sorry for being ignorant I'm just curious.

[@TotalHipster1]

@@lucylilith5101 I think he means that the properties require a certain number of staff and workers to run properly (fix leaks, faults, farms). I'm not sure, though; I've never owned a castle. I've just seen TV shows and movies, and that always seems to be the problem.

[@abeermikh]

I really dislike places that require a load of labour

[@josephbrennan370]

Damn your wealthy.

[@jeffreyskinner7167]

Alex , I can’t imagine the costs to maintain 4 estate s ! A friend is finding it difficult to maintain a 20 thousand square foot mansion . Even with 50 million in the bank . Here’s to downsizing and living simply so others may live . 😀

[@Moving_Target65]

The restoration of Carneville Castle is truly a labor of love. I can imagine a real estate developer undertaking such a massive project - when there are no major building projects to be done, the developer can redirect his best workers to help restore the castle, and when there is new work he can then redirect them to that new project. And when they finished with the castle, the developer can move in and live there. But the only major problems that I would foresee are the property taxes and the maintenance of the property, which would be a massive undertaking in and of itself. Carneville Castle is truly for the ultra rich both as a home and a status symbol.

[@xythiera7255]

You forgot that he cant just chang things around how he wants . Its under law not allowed to make any changes to it . So even with all the money of the world you still cant live in it .

[@Moving_Target65]

@@xythiera7255 I was completely unaware of such a law. Thank you for telling me.

[@sahtemehdiavcstarkd8712]

What you guys don’t understand or see is that you can build a new one in a more central part of the city, less cheaper and more modern. Why would I invest in a clunker car if I have money to buy a brand new Porsche?

[@raggytigger217]

Absolutely fantastic what those people have done. Preserving history like that is important.

[@broccoli5408]

Don't be silly, these buildings were built by a class of people who exploited other people and built these vanity palaces to impress their rich friends. Tear them down, or let the homeless live in them.

[@Thatsme849]

@@broccoli5408 please leave mr commie!

[@SomeGuy-ye8it]

@@broccoli5408 I absolutely agree with you. Rich politicians build palaces for money stolen from citizens, and keeping those brothels in good shape after their death (again in expense of working class) is ridiculous.

[@richardmangelmann4975]

@@broccoli5408 Also, taking that stuff down, a big example would be Versailles, means all that money and hard work invested would be for nothing. They suffered for architectural masterpieces and because you think its morally wrong in modern times that we should completely tear down all of it? I mean where do you even get that weird idea from

[@galgaliel5860]

​@@richardmangelmann4975 those types of people are braindead. you are assuming they are intelligent enough to critically think about the pictures and words that float across the empty, gray voids that are their brains. they have devolved into creatures with no original thought. just amorphous blobs of spite and vitriol.

[@deadralynx1288]

When I started here, all there was was swamp. Other kings said I was daft to build a castle on a swamp, but I built it all the same, just to show 'em. It sank into the swamp. So, I built a second one. That sank into the swamp. So, I built a third one. That burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp, but the fourth one... stayed up!

[@andremaines]

😂😂

[@didiergenin3671]

For anyone wondering, this is from Monty Pytho'n's Holy Grail

[@msk5410]

There’ll be no singing while I’m about.

[@deadralynx1288]

@@msk5410 One day this will all be yours! What, the curtains?

[@feraudyh]

Don't think that owning a castle in France is going to automatically cost you a fortune in taxes. It is not. It really depends on the state of the castle for one, its resale value, which is surprisingly low given that it costs a fortune to maintain.

[@alanwisdom7777]

in France we have so many castles for sale and restoration, but having a castle is an endless financial abyss

[@Girtharmstrong69]

@stn bboy literally the same thing financially

[@Girtharmstrong69]

@stn bboy they are similar enough buildings that it doesn't matter what you call them, we're palaces not designed to be secure ?

[@Girtharmstrong69]

@stn bboy so why did emperors and kings and queens live in palaces if they weren't secure?

[@hibahprice6887]

It's like buying a rusty car that can't be repaired. These locks must either be demolished or on the balance sheet of the authorities.

[@pacovl46]

That water castle looks so good. They should rebuild it!

[@TheMcKenzieHaus]

Imagine hiking in the woods and stumbling onto a castle. I literally would have thought I stepped through a portal or something lol 😂

[@parthin]

The first two are old houses, not castles. A more settled, safer life led to manors that were built for comfort, instead of the grim fortresses that were built for defense.

[@millevenon5853]

Strange times when small apartments are more comfortable than castles

[@SMGJohn]

These large castles has a brigade of servants keeping it afloat. Your small apartment, only requires you.

[@bsherman8236]

Better live in a trailer

[@cayennenaturetrails8953]

Many are building Tiny homes.

[@tonycezar1645]

castles are not meant to be comfortable

[@viewfromthehillswift6979]

Not a castle, but a stately home, a manor house (manoir).

[@feraudyh]

The word château is used very loosely in France, but nobody cares.

[@BenDover-wm7wf]

If you buy an old castle, I guess you need to be prepared to pay twice: once for the initial purchase, and once for the restoration.

[@SMGJohn]

You must be prepared to pay thrice, you forgot the maintenance involved.

[@KHETTIUS]

The second castle would have been beautiful in it's day.

[@maximhollandnederlandthene7640]

They could divide and make seperate appartements of castles. All a better option then to let them rotten away. 🤗

[@mmiljour]

The “ego” drives and collects all the sorrows of life, the pure heart ❤️ has none,,,

[@duthebestlion]

It is very tempting to own a castle, as they are very pretty. Buying an old castle does not cost too much. However, the renovation and maintenance cost is much bigger. Besides, they are usually in remote locations. That explains why their selling prices are quite attractive.

[@starfeesh2377]

I can’t imagine how long it took to build some of these back in those days

[@samj1185]

'I don't know. A little paint, a few flowers, a couple of throw pillows'. RIP Marty

[@Did.You.Forget]

*“It’s so cold and there’s heads everywhere!” **#frenchrevolutionprobs*

[@armr6937]

Was transfixed thinking I'd found Moulinsart but it was just Carneville.

[@rufeilrahtieh7885]

Houses/castles need to be almost continuously lived in and maintained. Mother nature is " ruthless "

[@chungseng4155]

2:08 thanks France 24 for taking a few second break for my jaw-dropped moment

[@GraceMusyoka]

I know, right

[@tampazeke4587]

I just don't understand how such a beautiful building could be so abandoned and neglected.

[@maxencebarre3833]

There's so much of them and they're often are located in far away areas. Even in a small country like France it's not easy to take care of them all

[@slozenger9000]

This is answered in literally the first sentence of the video.

[@zikaskoromila2669]

Very expensive to maintain

[@kingjoe3rd]

It's expensive and the castles existed in a country that was ravaged by poverty and two world wars and it is just now in a place where trying to fix these places seems feasible.

[@tampazeke4587]

@@kingjoe3rd I get that. I'm just surprised that no millionaires or billionaires would want to step up to preserve national treasures.

[@frankbutaric3565]

Dream or nightmare? Depends on how much money one has

[@xythiera7255]

Its only a nightmare. It haa no value at all. You will never get it resold .

[@lifeuncovered6188]

@@xythiera7255 if you have enough money, anything is possible.

[@eriskim1441]

Indeed

[@gandalflotr2898]

@@xythiera7255 unless you make it as a tourist attraction

[@XTheLolX301]

@@xythiera7255 most dont resold it, they use it as touristic atraction to get money or for themselves

[@gwang3103]

The castle in the water is just soooo romantic...

[@adaeptzulander2928]

So, what did these people DO for living that they could even buy a castle? And how did he NOT know that property would require a ridiculous amount of work?

[@jonesaderhold3513]

Have fun trying to bring one of these "previously abandoned" castles up to code. The local subcontractors will be having a field day, that's if you can even find any willing to work on it. Image the time and effort it would take to have a castle rewired.

[@brinkybrinkz]

Wow! Would love to visit.

[@thecitizenjoan]

Cant wait to buy my Castle in France

[@hazecliff7173]

So lesson learned. Don’t buy your castles. Just build your own. Renovating and preserving is more expensive and time consuming than building. I had harder time renovating our ancestral house than building mine.

[@alainportant6412]

😂 Besides arab oil money, people don't build new castles around here.

[@fenceyhen4249]

Very relatable lmao

[@shallash3925]

@@alainportant6412 why are you saying oil money as if it was blood money like what your government is gaining from africa ?

[@rbnhd1976]

I've heard renovation is like building a house, but with a house in the way, can't imagine building a castle, with a castle in the way. I think I would like a small concrete castle, like all concrete, no wood anywhere.

[@sobakathehusky]

Not every man has a castle, but nearly every gas station has a throne.

[@moofymoo]

Ouw wou oua! king in the castle, king in the castle!

[@carternystrom3105]

You've whetted my appetite for a castle. I need to keep my eyes open for a castle that catches my imagination. The US politics is reason alone to seek one's own fortresses.

[@lifeuncovered6188]

Moving to Denmark just because of that lmaooo

[@65denikat]

It's lovely if people are willing to use their money to buy and restore old castles. Eventually the upkeep will get too expensive and it's likely that these castles will go back to state/public-ownership. The upkeep being too expensive is the reason why they became derelict in the first place so it is unlikely that the new owners will be able to afford the castles in the long run. It's a good way to preserve national heritage for future generations. Of course one condition when they buy the castle has to be that they restore it according rules and regulations within a certain time frame. But I do applaud everyone who wants to own/co-own a castle, also foreigners.

[@cayennenaturetrails8953]

Agree

[@alexo2675]

Nice to see some French people still take pride in their history, traditions, culture and heritage. Very unusual in the West, especially in the USA, where self-loathing is the overriding sentiment

[@TheMusicalKnokcers]

What traditions do you have though ?

[@tuahsakato17]

OOOOOHHH!!! So this is the castle that inspires the latest work on Thalasso hobbyer たらそほびや channel!!

[@anonymoususer4412]

Yes I came back to this video to check because his model looked so familiar!

[@robertcrusader5019]

Fascinatiing.

[@TheREDMANC7]

Just get your friends round at weekends to fully restore a castle 🙄 this guy needs a rethink

[@AxionSmurf]

I enjoy hearing about trends in the castle market

[@thelonelyghosts9004]

Look what Enya did to Manderley castle after buying it in 1997. She purchased it for $3 million but then spent another $6-8 million completely refurbing it. Today it’s estimated to be worth $25-35 million. But you really need an Enya sized budget if you’re going to attempt to flip a castle

[@pawpatrolnews]

I'll take 3

[@taxicamel]

Buy it before investigating and knowing the condition? What was the purchase price? I suspect it was "cheap" by comparison, putting the price in perspective to the actual "castle and lands". The price alone would be reason to be "suspicious" if it was indeed "cheap" ...or "priced to sell". In North America, purchase of any house typically has "subjects" on the purchase contract ....each to be satisfied BEFORE the actual sale is completed. Very often a "house inspection" is often automatic. This inspection includes EVERYTHING ....plumbing, electrical, condition of structure, etc., etc., etc. It would appear this purchase was entirely planned to be a KZbin project for the purpose of making some money along the way.

[@Saraseeksthompson0211]

Dangggggggg just to save a building they should just keep the building strong and keep the trees. I’d love to go see that.

[@Hugginsince79]

The second castle must have been stunning ins it prime!

[@lelianarochefort3077]

I don't know about french castle but most abandoned castle in the UK isn't really expensive, but the cost of repairing and sometime installation of electricity and the tax for owning a castle is extremely costly, not to mention most castle are in remote areas, it's like a dream come true when you finally able to afford it but in the long run it will be a nightmate to maintain, I better stick with mansion if I got the money.

[@masterofdisguise72]

It was a pleasure to watch.

[@ollieandoreo6881]

this is what I love about crowdfunding power to the people and circumventing the banks!!

[@johnkellyvillafuerte8610]

I really want to live here in the castle

[@marcinfranczak1673]

We might know own castles for own. But it's a venture to visit them one after another. And feel in single day like a king. I deeply recommend to visit the Biggest Prussian castle of Malbork. As mention in size is large and have very interesting history along with Prussia itself.

[@justmytwocentsdontgetmad]

The first two buildings are manor houses or chateaus, not castles.

[@NASkeywest]

A cool idea would be to let people donate and have a list of days people are allowed to use it for a party, wedding, etc. Donate $2,000 or more bucks, you get to pick a day where you can rent it out or use it yourself.

[@jnusslein6301]

Nice castle 🏰

[@t0m653]

Should Rebuild and open as a museum

[@paws4thought449]

Very simple guide. Maximise the stone to timber ratio

[@tushaarvishnu933]

good place to defend against zombies

[@sarahmchugh4169]

Strangely enough, I was thinking the same thing.

[@jahreigns888]

Super cool. It would be such a shame for sites like these to eventually disappear.

[@CptCupcake5]

Damn, guess I’ll think twice about buying a castle now....

[@carmen3vcr33]

Castillo de francia is maravilloso

[@Visionery1]

I would be concerned about rising damp.

[@blackdogduck7682]

3:24 - I guess that means the project consists of taking peoples money and doing nothing.

[@Thatsme849]

yeah they should definitely restore it why would they just leave it like this?

[@NorceCodine]

@@melissag3919 No Melissa, you're just depressed. Go out and do some exercise. It helped me when I bought a castle in Ireland.

[@rudociliak6683]

lol

[@schrodingerskatze4308]

No, it means that you make sure that it doesn´t fall apart without changing too much.

[@rudociliak6683]

@@schrodingerskatze4308 by doing what trimming the bushes around it? the things made of pure stone

[@kopi828]

why would anyone buy a palace without having a private audit on the wood/stone health? you do that for any house but not a million dollar castle?

[@carrickrichards2457]

New detached homes may need 1% of purchase cost in annual maintenance. Older buildings may need 5%. Fragile historic monuments need much more! France has (controversially) sold many nationally owned historic buildings very cheaply to ensure they are preserved.

[@caseydub7546]

The 2nd one reminds me of the beauty and the beast film from Czechoslovakia (1971)

[@Enigmaking]

No memento mori like a run down castle with 🎄 growing out of it

[@archianosohliya3436]

How were the walls so clean even after nature reclaimed the castle?

[@deltaraven]

love the loose term of castle cause that is not a castle its just a house

[@joshuadavids7683]

2:55 "when we saw Cuba and Burkina Faso, we thought that this probably a corruption money but we took it anyway"

[@FurryEskimo]

I like this, but find the village of actors to be, ironic. Am I the only one who knows the French queen famous for (not actually) saying “Let them eat cake!” actually had a village of actors, but it was considered a gross display of wealth, but the general community that lacked wealth.

[@JeromePowerrr]

Whats a mill between a couple of friends

[@Quagigitymire]

Sounds like a dream to own, in thought. In reality it sounds like a nightmare. The upkeep, costs, landscaping... exhausting

[@jorgeromero8482]

the tittle of the video should had been FROM DREAM TO NIGHTMARE

[@AdolphZiggler-fc2ot]

buying a castle or something that is obviously way too cheap is like "how to get scamed by the local government"

[@thevirginclanlee275]

OMG how could they sell such things!? These castles are the true culture treasure of France! They are never for sale!

[@PeterLawton]

Not even upon the owner's death?

[@wannabecake1]

0:25 i think that house is in the netflix show Lupin

[@StallionFernando]

Thumbnail is beautiful, I wanna see it in the next Souls game Miyazaki

[@aliyhatone-pah-hote3405]

Lol this is why I'm just building mine. Honestly making better progress than I would've renovating

[@leewe2015]

in the sand*

[@patriciarouse2801]

We belong here on earth. And we live 100+/- years. Cherish sacrid life , and celebrate the beauty learn to live and find peace made here

[@ORGANICsoulJAZZ]

They didn't say how much it costs to buy a castle

[@carmenirigoyen-lopez9920]

Fungus is VERY hard to eradicate! It is almost inmortal, it is in a class by itself, it is called the fifth kingdom: it is not a vegetable or animal, it has attributes of both!

[@silynita]

I live in a highly humid tropical county and a white powdery mold is everywhere in our house, even outside on fences, walls, tree trunks, soil. A huge pain to remove, and after it has been removed it comes back like clockwork. If I wasn't allergic I wouldn't have minded one bit.

[@carmenirigoyen-lopez9920]

@@silynita try cleaning with bleach, be sure to have good ventilation, and not breath in while applying it.

[@susanbrown2909]

Doesn’t like vinegar either.

[@carmenirigoyen-lopez9920]

susan brown thank you for the tip!

[@Maelanrah]

C'est beau

[@barrybigballs3010]

Amazing building ..how’s it looking now

[@hectatusbreakfastus6106]

Yup, solid money makers as a museum and high end hotel.

[@carmineredd1198]

i am in the process of creating a castle, in about 300 years i shall have enough choice timber to begin construction

[@sezaiyalcinkaya6697]

Perfect eccellent always always my number 1, a french chateau

[@sezaiyalcinkaya6697]

.