Beynac

Medieval fortress

Beynac

Listed as one of the ‘Most Beautiful Villages in France’, Beynac is one of the most typical villages in the region, clinging to the rock along the Dordogne. For thousands of years, this unique situation served this medieval fortress well in controlling the Dordogne, which was an axis for invasions. But that’s not all! It was also a traffic artery, and served the medieval town well in terms of trade, from the time when farmers, weavers and basket-makers, fishermen and ‘gabariers’ kept the banks of the river alive.

It was through the marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine to Henry Plantagenet, King of England, that Beynac, like the rest of Aquitaine, became English. The fortress saw many battles, including the Albigensian Crusade, the Hundred Years’ War and the Wars of Religion. Then it was the people who found themselves in great misery, and revolt was brewing in the countryside. The uprising of the peasants, known as ‘les croquants’, began. This uprising, which lasted for a hundred years, came to an end and the repression was terrible; Beynac was cut in two: those in the fortress and those in the village.

We visited it for you and highly recommend it! Distance from La Barde: 20 minutes

For a first visit to the region, Beynac is a village not to be missed! Either on foot, by parking at the bottom of the village and climbing up to the château to wander through its magnificent narrow streets, or by gabarre for a view from the Dordogne river, or by parking at the top of the village for those with walking difficulties.

The castle is a magnificent building that we also recommend you visit.