This castle is a high place in the history of Normandy: William the Conqueror and Henry IV came there; it was always held by very important families: the Mauquenchy (one became Marshal of France in 1368), the Estouteville, the Alègre, the Colberts, the Marshal of Montmorency-Luxembourg.
Usually closed to the public, with the exception of its surroundings, which are the headquarters of the Archéo Jazz, an annual festival of contemporary music created in 1977 and intended to revive it, associated with other cultural and recreational activities. it opens its doors for exceptional visits, especially during the Heritage Days, since their origin.
The remains of five successive and superimposed castles (from the 11th century clod to the 18th century residence) are surprising. They were taken out of the ground and "revived" thanks to the hard work of passionate volunteers, since 1967: searches in the archives, archaeological excavations, hand clearances or with mechanical machines, temporary and then permanent protection, improvements (landscaped in the first place) and animations.
Rooms and stairs of the 14th and 15th centuries, then completely buried (under more than 100,000 m3 and on a height of embankments reaching 13m in the ditches), are now accessible and explainable, perfectly preserved and spectacular. The human adventure behind this feat is also unveiled.