The Quirky Tale of Château de la Bonde

Once upon a time, in the 12th century, a castle was erected by the lords of Milly, and that castle goes by the name of Château de la Bonde. Nestled in the heart of the Natural Regional Park of Gâtinais French, it finds itself surprisingly close to the town center of Milly-la-Forêt. Over the centuries, it has served as the property of many a lord: Hugues III de Bouville, Olivier V de Clisson, Jean II de Montmorency, Jean-François de Faudoas d'Averton, Marc-Antoine Front de Beaupoil de Saint-Aulaire, and Pierre Marie du Lau d'Allemans.

Louis Malet de Graville decided to jazz things up a bit in the late 15th century, transformed the drawbridge into a stone bridge, and added a gate and a defensive north tower to beef up security. He also enclosed a courtyard, placing a chapel dedicated to St. Valentine right smack in the middle. Since 1972, the castle has been partially inscribed as a historic monument. And that's about the tale of old Château de la Bonde.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons