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Founded: 12th centuryCategory: Castles and fortifications in France
Historical period: Birth of Capetian dynasty (France)
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The Château de Gicon is a medieval fortress built between the 12th and 13th centuries, located in the commune of Chusclan. The Gicon farm, located at the base of the hill, sits at around 160 meters altitude. From there, a trail leads up to the castle, passing by the Sainte-Madeleine chapel. It can also be reached via a forest road from Vénéjan.
Archaeologists believe the castle was built on the site of a Celtic oppidum, evidenced by the northeast, north, and west walls of Celtic origin, which form a terrace base. A Roman-era paved road was also discovered.
In 1156, King Louis VII of France donated several castles and estates to the bishopric of Uzès, including Château de Gicon. This donation was confirmed in 1211 by Philip II Augustus. In 1229, following the Treaty of Meaux-Paris, which ended the Albigensian Crusade, the domain of Gicon was annexed to the Kingdom of France.
The donjon (main tower) is believed to have been constructed between 1200 and 1260. Louis IX reportedly stopped at the castle in the spring of 1270 before his final crusade. In 1312, King Philip IV (Philip the Fair) granted the lordship of Gicon to Guilhem de Saint Just, with permission to build a fortified house, as the Rhône Valley then marked a frontier.
In 1631, the donjon was destroyed by order of Louis XIII. The castle fell into further ruin after the last lords died in 1684, and it was used as a stone quarry. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, most maps — such as the Cassini map — either referred to the site simply as 'Gicon' or showed only ruins.
In 1973, local winemakers purchased the fortress to restore it. Renovation began in 1987. Since 1990, the association Les Amis de Gicon et du patrimoine de Chusclan has overseen its preservation. A visitor trail was established in 2009.
Rosenborg Palace was built in the period 1606-34 as Christian IV’s summerhouse just outside the ramparts of Copenhagen. Christian IV was very fond of the palace and often stayed at the castle when he resided in Copenhagen, and it was here that he died in 1648. After his death, the palace passed to his son King Frederik III, who together with his queen, Sophie Amalie, carried out several types of modernisation.
The last king who used the place as a residence was Frederik IV, and around 1720, Rosenborg was abandoned in favor of Frederiksborg Palace.Through the 1700s, considerable art treasures were collected at Rosenborg Castle, among other things items from the estates of deceased royalty and from Christiansborg after the fire there in 1794.
Soon the idea of a museum arose, and that was realised in 1833, which is The Royal Danish Collection’s official year of establishment.