The Impossible Restoration of a French Château Left in Ruins
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- Опубликовано: 27 янв 2025
- Join us on an exclusive tour of the incredible Château de l’Herm, located in the heart of Dordogne, France. Led by its passionate owner, Nicolas de Laâge de Meux, this video takes you behind the scenes of a monumental restoration project.
In 2020, Nicolas purchased this château, which had been left in ruins for decades. Since then, he has dedicated himself to bringing this historic landmark back to life, step by step.
💡 In this tour, you’ll discover:
The challenges of restoring a 15th-century château from the ground up.
Key moments in the transformation, including the roof reconstruction and stonework.
Insights into balancing historical preservation with modern restoration techniques.
The inspiring story of an owner who refused to let history fade away.
🔎 About Château de l’Herm:
Built in the 15th century, this once-forgotten château is steeped in history and mystery. Located in the stunning Dordogne region, it stood abandoned for decades until Nicolas took on the extraordinary challenge of restoring it to its former glory.
📺 𝐒𝐔𝐁𝐒𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐁𝐄 to @SoChateauxTV for more exclusive tours and inspiring stories of French château restorations.
🇫🇷 Original French Video (with subtitles): ruclips.net/video/hPe42AO4fyQ/видео.html
Absolutely breath taking. We are so fortunate to have people in the world that want to restore and keep these beautiful buildings. So many beautiful buildings have been lost to wars and bulldozers.
This man is the definition of a visionary.
Thank you for having a voice over in the English language so that a wider international audience can appreciate all of the beautiful work taking place.
Please tell the owner to set up a trust fund to always keep the estate in excellent repair as future generations usually have to sell it as they cannot afford the maintenance costs.
What a magnificent building! Restoring this piece of art is a life well lived!
That staircase is breathtaking..what an incredible beauty..You are doing a wonderful job!!
How they did this in medieval times with no machines & computers & make it last 5 centuries. 😮
Votre travail est une source d'inspiration pour les préservationnistes du monde entier. Merci de nous avoir partagé votre œuvre.
I wish there were more people like this man. Keeping history alive!
Dreams do come true. How exciting for you. Your enthusiasm for this huge project is clear to see. You’re doing wonderful work. Congratulations.
All it takes to tens of millions of euros.
Money, effort, energy and passion well focussed and executed. This Château is just beyond phenomenal. In my region called the Westland, there stood a lot of beautiful grand estates, they are all gone! My family castles, ruins!
Truly spectacular! The quality and size of the oak ceiling beams and joists are incredible, the dressed lime stone blocks on the façade and the new reimagined lucarnes are breathtakingly beautiful. The new attic beams just blew me away! The beauty of french craftsmanship is on full display here. I imagine you will install bathrooms on each floor inside the circular turrets. Will you be having radiant floor heating before the wood or stone floors go in?
The masonry work here is exquisite, especially the double stone entrance on those incredible stairs at 13:00. And the carpentry with that inverted-boat roof at 26:20. Just wow!
I'm in awe....what a wonderful restoration...just magnificent😮
❤❤❤thank you for preserve history of beautiful france
Sehr schönes Schloß, wahrhaft Wert wiederhergestellt zu werden. Sehr sensible Restaurierung.
So wonderful that this Frenchman has taken on the task of restoring and preserving this part of history.
What amazing architecture. Thank you for doing this restoration. You are now my second chateau restoration channel.
It is absolutely stunning as is . Finished it will be breathtakingly magnificent . Thank you for being able to visualize what can be . This old Grande Dame is worth the effort . 💖
Es ist wunderschön! Die vielen Details... die großen Feuerstellen...die Böden!
❤
I adore this French gentleman he speaks to every step of my DNA, 💥👌
From someone who restored a ruin in Brandenburg, this is very impressive.
Yes, restoration has to treat lightly in order not to create something new. What they have done so far is remarkable and I hope they are successful with the use of the castle after they are done with their restoration.
Also I had to smile at his remarks at the beginning when he said that they want to restore it in one going. Yes, majority will be done, but this will take money and time every year, month, week, day after they want to be finished.
What a wonderful restoration of an unspoiled French gem.
Bravo !!!!! ❤
What a stunning villa. So wonderful that you have devoted so much to its amazing restoration.
It is amazing how 500 years ago they able to accomplish une oeuvre d'art with all the intricate details of this castle. Il est incriyable de se rendre compte du travail immense qui a ete applique aux details qui font de ce chateau un monument d'une beaute incroyable.
THANK YOU for preserving our shared past - and thank you for sharing your work, We have MUCH to be proud of, We come from a GREAT people despite others trying to convince us otherwise. We are the children of and inheritors of mighty and noble kings and queens, of brave and powerful warrior knights , of deep thinkers and innovators , of risk takers and fearless explorers, we are characters too. in the same story they are in, separated by only just a chapter or two from them. Its good to be reminded of all that we have accomplished, how our world is a much better place because we are a part of it, especially when others would like us to forget it, or worse be ashamed by who they were and who we are. Truly, we stand on the shoulders of giants.
Amazing castle. Also, as an architect I very much appreciate the spirit in which the historic heritage is approached. This is one of very few examples where I agree with every single decisions about what and how is preserved or restored.
Marvellous! You need courage and determination to commence such a rescue project. Mille mercis, Monsieur.
You are to be commended Sir... Your directives and preservation is remarkable. Thank you for sharing your passion. Aloha from Hawaii
Truly amazing, it's wonderful that we have people in this world that would make beautiful things
Well done. A truly remarkable achievement. A long and difficult job. ATB regards from the UK
This is absolutely stunning. I love how solid and medieval it seems. The reconstructed ceiling is jaw dropping. It is so good to preserve something like this. I presume there is also a chapel and I really hope it is also restored authentically so that the Mass could be celebrated there, perhaps a memorial Mass for those who had lived there over the centuries,
Those fireplaces are magnificent! What an excellent tour. Thank you!
Restored and retained the structural integrity. Amazing.
Beloved Medieval Building.
👑⚜️ ⚜️👑
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Awesome to see the right person investing in such a beautiful chateau, you both deserve each other. Really enjoyed watching your video. Hi from Holland ❤
Magnifico Castello e
Lei Sig Nicolas è una persona splendida.
Tutta la mia stima. ❤
AMAZING!!!!!! Wonderful poetic narration.
Superb History and wonderful work. Bravo.
Wow ..... What a magnificent property this is and what you are doing with it is remarkable !
Magnifique! Je vous souhaite une longue vie!
Thank you for sharing this beautiful chateau and its restoration. ❤🇺🇸
Wonderful. Thanks for your effort.
Very beautiful architectural features! I am looking foreward to seeing the chateaux when finished and decorated. Good luck to you! 😊👍
Fantastique video mate! Greetings from Sydney Australia.
Such splendor thank you so much for the tour
Bravo! Your vision is what counts. All the rest is just time.
wow! speechless! 🥰
Great work, sir!
Doing great work to a beautiful building.
Je trouve admirable l’effort de lire et comprendre le château pour mieux l’apprécier plutôt que de lui imposer un style. La patine préservant son histoire et caractère…bref une oeuvre d’art totale!
J’essaie modestement d’y parvenir dans une maison bourgeoise en Allemagne datant du 11/12eme siècle - à une échelle bien plus petite, mais avec la même ambition et cela envers et contre la plupart des gens bien pensants et certainement plus raisonnables.
J’ai hâte de voir le studiolo ou la Wunderkammer un jour - bien qu’il ne sera jamais terminé et s’enrichira le long des 500 prochaines années !
Love wee house😂 . Truly so beatiful the fire places windows hugs love!❤😊❤
Bien Joué !! 👏👏
Je passe souvent à coté et les travaux ont bien avancé depuis cette vidéo
Congratulations!
Such a magnificent restoration! I’m curious as to how you will heat and complete the electrical installation.
Fabuleux, bonjour bravo tip top super cool pour le boulot courage pour la suite. Respect
Beautiful. Will it become another museum or will it be lived in?
For.....the Four futur year s, The castle IS Open to Public visit !!!!! And Party, to enjoy, with Familly !!!!!
Magnifique 😍?! Salutation de la Suisse 😊
Great restoration work done with subtlety and restraint. The name is Château de l'Herm.
Bravo!
What kind of stones were used when this was built ? Were rebars and concrete used in the original build ? Or they built it up entirely out of stone, limestone and wood ? How were they able to manage building floors using wooden ceilings ?
Es una preciosidad, un increíble trabajo de conservación y restauración 😊
Ein sehr schönes Schloss.
Make sure when you open the chateaux up, the chateaux is fire-proofed. Someone, after a hundred gatherings, will accidentally do something catastrophic. Make plans for furnishings with furniture makers for discounts on future refurbishment (neoclassical of course), local companies, abroad companies, international companies, whomever you use.
What a wonderful project, I’d love to work on this chateau.
Bon chance mes amis Français!
Il tuo castello è bellissimo.
Beautiful! T/Y
The successive families who owned the castle were involved in an intergenerational feud which led to a number of deaths. It’s worth looking up.
As often in these cases in which people restore castles and manors at huge personal effort and money should gain the noble title once connected to such property.
Merci ! ... Des dessins de plans seraient très utiles !
"Jesus, savior of the world."
This restoration is incredible. It is breathtaking. I have a question though, why are all the castle restorations I have seen rebuilt to include electricity, plumbing and heating/cooling? This may seem like a dumb question, but doesn't anyone want to live like people did in those times? Using fire places for heating and cooking? Carrying in water etc. Going to the bathroom in a bucket. Granted, there may not be enough forests for wood. So is that the reason no one restores them to in their original design and functionality?
It would seem the gentry has been forced into modernity with the freeing of the peasants to stoke the fires and empty the chamber pots but also shrewd enough to maintain capabilities
@@gula9993 Newsflash: The gentry have servants to this day! They do not keep up their properties by themselves. So I don't think its a lack of hired help that prevents them from living as their predecessors did.
And there was a large forest connected to the castle so I don't think it's a shortage of wood either.
@@gula9993Rubbish. Household chores were not the responsibility of ," peasants."
I have the same passion ❤
It's just a bunch of rooms, what's more impressive is his dream and imagination.
Штукатурке 500 лет и она "в хорошем состоянии"! Я в шоке! Вот так и надо строить: красиво и на века!
Реконструкторам РЕСПЕКТ!
Лет 45 назад был свидетелем как разбирали 150-летнюю кладку. Кирпич невозможно было расколоть "по телу", ломали только по швам. Лично попробовал расколоть уже отдельно лежащий кирпич отбойным молотком. Впечатление как "сталь по стали". На каждом кирпиче выдавлено клеймо.
❤❤❤
Y a-t-il un site sur RUclips du proprietaire du Chateau de l'Herm, Monsieur Nicholas de Laage de Meux? Je voudrais suivre la progression des travaux.
Most interesting --- I have been reseaching the history of a local castle in Somerset ie Nunney Castle. It stands without a roof of any floors. I was wondering if i could ask for details and photos of the roof you have installed --- the reason, i think it looks simular in form to what i thnk would have been on Nunney Castle ? Thanks
EasySTONE NC is the touch CAD/CAM software solution for stone and related materials processing designed to be installed onboard the CNC router.
That room should be made back into a dungeon!!!
If you do a follow up video may you explain who was murdered there and why?
But monsieur, all children love mush
🤩🤩🤩🤩🏆🏆🏆🤩
👍👌👏
😊🏰👑
御城プロジェクトに､城娘として出るかも。
Impossible n'est pas français . Merci au étranger qui restaure notre patrimoine et l'histoire.
Et mycket vackert slått 🎉
Where did light come from? The stairwell is so dark. Amazing it's one piece of stone,is that correct? Surprised they aren't worn from years of people walking up and down.
Will you live there? Seems depressing, great historical renovations for viewing but to live in? Unless you create a more welcoming home upstairs.
you have spent a few milj, already but it seems the Forrest near the chateau are in need of a trimming to insure the monuments safety
Shot everytime he says chateau
Why was she murdered
What is with all these French chateaux restorations?
Cool ,wenn man genügend Kohle hat ...😊
Obviously not impossible !😂
Thank god you are not a archaeologist. If you were, you would be still looking at gaping hole in floor and blue sky above.
😅😅zu dumm für alles. Selbst die Überschrift ist schon falsch. Aus Ruinen. AUS!!!
Ruined the roofline.
Beautiful.
The staircase doesn't turn in the traditional castle designs.