Throughout the weekend, the Château de Sarzay experiences a journey through time. The “Genz d’armes 1415” company, which specializes in historical reconstruction of the 15th century, took possession of the premises for two days.
as believable as possible
And to make this return to the past as credible as possible, the members of the association, history enthusiasts and professionals, take their role very seriously. For two days, Ludovic Hiltenbrand has another identity. “My name is Jacquemart Fremin. He was an archer.”
“We each have first names from the era: we embody characters who really existed” continues the one who is also the director of the historic center of Agincourt, in Pas-de-Calais. “It’s a total immersion where you can see how people lived in a small provincial castle of the time, with a small lord and all his entourage: craftsmen, soldiers… We even have for l occasion a royal officer traveling for pay!“
– Xavier Ponroy
In this 14th century castle, visitors walk through different rooms: kitchen, bedrooms… with historical explanations of the living conditions of the time, including on the technicality of knightly armor.
Make “living history” to “demystify the dark side of the Middle Ages”
A fun way to open minds to a period too often caricatured according to Aymeric Savary. “Our goal is to show the public that the teaching of history is not perfect. We want to show people who are breathing, who are not dead like in the books. It allows you to see a living history” supports the president of the company.
“Many people say that the Middle Ages was a dirty period, where people weren’t really literate, were barbarians… Our goal is to deconstruct all that, to demystify this dark side of the Middle Ages. We want to show that medieval society is a completely human, natural society, which is organized around legitimate principles.“
Visits continue this Sunday, May 29, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Entrance to the castle costs seven euros.