€ 300,000, this is the amount that will be able to benefit the Château des Quatre SOS in the municipality of Réole in the south of the Gironde. Stéphane Berne’s heritage mission has just unveiled this Monday, December 20. A sum that will allow the owners of the premises and the municipality to initiate the first rehabilitation work on the medieval site dating from the 13th century.
“This castle must be given to see”
These 300,000 euros are extraordinary news for the Viort family, owners of the château. “We have wanted to open the doors of this fortress to the public for years “. This is the second time that Franck Viort, one of the owners, a candidate for the heritage mission. What he now hopes is that the castle will make the Réole shine throughout the region and be able to attract and make future visitors dream.
However, it will still be necessary to wait to cross the gates of the almost 800-year-old fortress since work should not start until the end of 2022. If Franck Viort is more than happy to receive these € 300,000 from the heritage lottery, he still believes works costing more than one million euros.
Priority to site security
“With this sum, the first objective _it is to secure the premises to make it accessible to visitors “_explains Raymond Vallier, deputy mayor in charge of heritage at Réole. The castle is still in its original condition and rock falls make the arrival of tourists difficult. The first works will therefore consist ofto stabilize the structure outside but also inside the fortress.
“This rehabilitation will also allow the Réolais to reappropriate the place and become aware of the richness of the heritage of their municipality” rejoices the deputy mayor.
It is the only site in the Gironde selected by the heritage mission. There are eleven others in Nouvelle-Aquitaine.