The castles of Bruniquel : listed historical monument. In the Aveyron Gorges, in Bruniquel, one of the most beautiful villages in France, discover the castles: the Old and the Young perched on a rocky spur.
The castles of Bruniquel are an open book on history; indeed, each century has left its mark: the superposition of interventions constitutes the essential charm of this construction, magnificently situated to watch over the valleys of the Aveyron and the Vère.
The visit includes several architectural elements from different periods: the tower known as the Queen Brunehaut Tower from the 12th century, the knights' room from the 13th century decorated with geminated windows, the entrance door and the carved wooden chimney with baroque decoration from the 17th century of the Young Castle, the Renaissance style gallery of the Old Castle overhanging the cliff of 90 meters and offering a superb panorama on the Aveyron valley.
The castles welcome four permanent exhibitions: one room is dedicated to the exhibition of photos taken during the shooting of the film "Le Vieux Fusil" (The Old Gun), indeed these castles were used as a setting for the shooting of the unforgettable film by Robert Enrico with Philippe Noiret and Romy Schneider, one room is dedicated to prehistory, another to stone (stone cutters, sculpture), another one also retraces the discovery of the Bruniquel's cave (Neanderthal man made in Bruniquel. The information we are going to reveal to you is not a secret, on the contrary, it has been around the world! In the Bruniquel cave, 336 meters from the entrance, structures have been dated to about 176,500 years. This discovery considerably sets back the date of human use of the caves, the oldest formal evidence dating back 37,000 years (Chauvet). It places the constructions of Bruniquel among the first in the history of mankind. The cave is closed for scientific studies with the agreement of its owner. There are also temporary exhibitions of paintings and photos throughout the summer.
The ceremonial room and the gallery of the old castle have been recently restored. Free or guided visit.
