Chateau Beynac

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Beynac is 5 minutes east of St. Cyprien and has one of the neatest castles in France. Chateau Beynac was built in the early 12th century by a French baron and then was under the control of Richard I (Lionheart) of England in 1180. It is built on top of and into the limestone hillside above the village which lines the banks of the Dordogne River. The Chateau is one of the best preserved and best-known medieval fortified castles in Europe. During the One Hundred Years War, the French occupied Chateau Beynac while the English resided at Chateau de Castelnaud (the Dordogne was the border between English and French territory) and the Barons of Casnac and Beynac duked it out for control of this valley region from their respective Chateaus during the 13th century. Chateaus Castlenaud and Beynac each have fantastic views of the Dordogne River and surrounding valleys and look directly at each other.