Buranlure Castle, or the Château de Buranlure, is an ancient fortress in the

Berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...

region of France, dating from the late Middle Ages and the transition towards the Renaissance. Buranlure is located in the commune of

Boulleret Boulleret () is a commune in the Cher department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France. Geography An area of lakes and streams, forestry and farming, comprising the village and three hamlets situated in the Loire valley some northeast ...

, in the Cher department, in the

Centre-Val de Loire Centre-Val de Loire (, , ,In isolation, ''Centre'' is pronounced . ) or Centre Region (french: région Centre, link=no, ), as it was known until 2015, is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France. It straddles the middle Loire Valley ...

region.

History

The domain of Buranlure, owned by the de Bar family, vassals to the

Count of Sancerre Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility.L. G. Pine, Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty'' ...

, played a key defensive role in the vicinity between the 14th and 16th centuries. Built adjacent to the Loire river, it was at the border between two kingdoms: that of the

king of France France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the Kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions. Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I () as the first ...

, residing a few kilometres away in

Bourges Bourges () is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre. It is the capital of the department of Cher, and also was the capital city of the former province of Berry. History The name of the commune derives either from the Bituriges, t ...

, and the

Burgundians The Burgundians ( la, Burgundes, Burgundiōnes, Burgundī; on, Burgundar; ang, Burgendas; grc-gre, Βούργουνδοι) were an early Germanic tribe or group of tribes. They appeared in the middle Rhine region, near the Roman Empire, and ...

, in Cosne sur Loire. It was frequently used as a command post for the king's troops during the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French Crown, ...

to counter the Anglo-Burgundians. During the religious wars, the then lord of Buranlure, Antoine de Bar, raised an army to support the Maréchal de La Châtre as he was laying siege to Sancerre, a Protestant stronghold. As the de Bar family gradually abandoned it for more comfortable houses, it was acquired in 1769 by the Perrinet Langeron family. Their interest in the purchase was more the pastures included in the estate than the castle, as they deemed it dull and sober. They converted the castle into a farmer's lodgings, and so it remained until the beginning of the 20th century. This lack of interest left Buranlure architecturally untouched, allowing it to keep its rustic look and feel throughout the centuries while other castles were given more modern touches. However, heavily worn out by time and the occupation, an ambitious restoration project was launched at the end of World War II by Arnaud de Vogüé, a descendant of the Perrinet Langeron family. Thanks to the work of experts and local craftsmen, great care was given to ensure Buranlure kept its authenticity . It was classified as a ''

monument historique ''Monument historique'' () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which National Heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a coll ...

'' in 1944 and has remained in the same family ever since.

Events

The castle is open to the public every year in July and August and during the European heritage days. Buranlure has been used as a setting for several films or TV films: * ''Le Grand Inquisiteur'' by Raoul Sangla for Antenne 2 (1979) * ''Parking'' by Jacques Demy, with Francis Huster (1985) * ''Dandin'' by Roger Planchon, with Claude Brasseur and Zabou Breitman (1987) * ''Les Trois Mousquetaires'' (TV film) (2005) * ''Henri IV'' (2008) by Jo Baier * ''La Commanderie'' (2008) série TV.

References

* Notice no PA00096653 rchive base Mérimée, ministère français de la Culture * https://web.archive.org/web/20180816194340/http://chateaudeburanlure1.e-monsite.com/pages/tournage-de-films.html rchive* Histoire du Berry : Thaumas de La Thaumassière, éditions Lafitte reprints 1976 * https://www.jstor.org/stable/41729246?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents rchive* Buranlure Arnaud de Vogüé {{Authority control Castles in Centre-Val de Loire