In 1997, a group of 70 individuals in a forest in Treigny, France began building a 13th-century castle they named Gúedelon using only medieval techniques.
Each piece of stone is carved using the same tools that were used 800 years ago, each piece of wood is felled and shaped by hand, and the builders even wear the clothing of that period.
The construction is based on the architectural techniques of Philip Augustus work during the 12th and 13th centuries.
Castles built to this standard plan have the following characteristics: a polygonal ground plan; high stone curtain walls, often built on battered plinths; a dry ditch; round flanking towers pierced with single embrasured arrow loops, the position of which is staggered on each floor of the tower; one corner tower, higher and larger than the rest: the tour maîtresse; twin drum tower protect the gate.
