France Castles # 5 : Château de Commarque, Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Mysterious Château de Commarque was abandoned for centuries, and even today, much of the château is in ruins. The original castle was built in the 12th century.

During the Hundred Years’ War (1337—1453), the master of the castle, the Count of Commarque, was fighting with his neighbor, the Baron of Beynac.

In a Romeo and Juliet-esque scenario, the Count’s daughter fell in love with the Baron’s son, and the story doesn’t have a happy ending in Shakespearean style.

The Count imprisoned the Baron’s son for several months before finally executing him.

It’s not the hapless man’s ghost that wanders the ruins now, but that of his horse, faithfully searching for his master like a kind of hooved Greyfriars Bobby.

But naturally, the horse only appears when the moon is full.

Fodors Travel / ABC Flash Point News 2025.