Château de Montfort

Vitrac, France, France

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Château de Montfort in Vitrac, France, is a medieval castle overlooking the Dordogne River, first documented in 866 as "Castrum de Monte Forti" and linked to turbulent history including destruction by Simon de Montfort in 1214 during the Albigensian Crusade, followed by rebuilds and further demolitions during the Hundred Years' War, under Louis XI, and Henri IV.

Owned by figures like Bernard de Casnac and later transformed into a Renaissance hunting lodge by René of Savoy with added facades, timbered halls, and a spiral staircase, it survived multiple sieges and pillaging, including by Huguenots and during World War II.

Today the privately owned site, restored in the 19th and 20th centuries with elements like a pergola from a destroyed church, stands as a romantic ruin amid scenic cliffs, evoking legends of hauntings while remaining closed to the public.​