The Castle of Harcourt
The Castle and its arboretum
Harcourt Castle is one of the best preserved medieval castles in Normandy. Today owned by the Eure Department Council, it is a good example of the evolution of military architecture in the region. Originally built of earth and wood, this seat of the Harcourt family became, in the 12th century, a stone built castle. Its battlements, its 12th & 13th century towers are a fine example of Norman médiéval military architecture. The arboretum on the estate, created in 1840 by Louis Gervais Delamane, is considered the oldest in France. It contains, over an area of 11 ha more than 3,000 trees belonging to 470 different varieties.
Did you know?
A signposted path lets you discover the more remarkable specimens of the Harcourt arboretum: two 200 years old Lebanese Cedars, five one hundred years old ginkgos biloba, many giant sequoias and many other rare botanic specimens, such as: the "Wig Tree" with bearded branches or the twisted beeches, for example.
