Today's Castle: Beynac

Château de Beynac, in the Perigord region of France, is one of France's best-preserved medieval fortresses.

It sits on a limestone cliff overlooking the valley of the Dordogne River.

The keep was built in the 12th century by the Barons of Beynac, among whom was Richard I of England. There is a plaque in the castle indicating that one of the rooms was occupied by the Lionheart, but others say there is no record that he ever went to the castle.

The living quarters were enlarged in the 14th century; that's the section with the gothic windows. The castle was very close to the boundary between English-held Aquitaine and the rest of France, so there was much fighting in the area during the Hundred Years' War.

And then more was added in the 17th century.

Today the public parts of the interior are furnished in Renaissance splendor.

What a splendid place it is. More at wikipedia; the castle has a great web site in French.