Modern man builds medieval castle

[Paul Clerkin]

Modern man builds medieval castle
Stone by stone, craftsmen at site in Burgundy work with tools from 13th century

Once upon a time, deep in the forests of Burgundy, a man was haunted by a vision. He dreamed of building a castle, with turrets, great walls and a moat. Some people wondered if he was mad.

This was, after all, 1996.

And yet Michel Guyot set out to build his castle the hard way - the medieval way. With only hammers and chisels to carve the stones. With only horses to cart the rock. Without power tools.

Ten years later, Guedelon castle is about one-third finished, with imposing sandstone walls that rise up out of the red Burgundy soil. It's a living history lesson and a successful tourism project. Last year, 245,000 visitors admired the work of Guedelon's stonecutters, carpenters, potters, rope-makers and blacksmiths.

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.html?id=d87c5b2a-cc77-4eb3-9c99-bf38b05d2745