Can the Cabanac-et-Villagrains castle mounds be visited freely?

The site is outdoors and accessible without fixed hours or ticketing, as it consists of open-air archaeological remains.

What can still be seen there?

Two earthen mounds remain, one around ten metres high and the other wider and lower, surrounded by ditches and a bank marking a former bailey.

Since when has the site been protected?

Both mounds were listed as historic monuments by a decree of 16 April 2020.

Are excavations carried out at the site?

Yes, archaeological digs have taken place there since the 2010s.

Cabanac-et-Villagrains Castle mounds

Cabanac-et-Villagrains

Access

No visits on recordNo opening hours or ticketing found

Where: Cabanac-et-Villagrains

To make a day of it

Open within 20 km

Sleep nearby

This week in the agenda

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Mottes castrales de Cabanac-et-Villagrains stands in Cabanac-et-Villagrains (Gironde), in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France. The building is registered as a historic monument. No visits are on record for this building.

North of the village of Cabanac, two earthen mounds mark the site of a fortified complex from the central Middle Ages. The taller one rises over ten metres and still shows traces of a circular ditch along with a square bailey enclosed by an earthen bank. Some twenty metres away stands a second, lower and wider mound, part of the same defensive arrangement whose exact purpose remains debated. The site, locally known as Las Casterasses, has been the subject of archaeological excavations since the 2010s.

Written from Mottes castrales de Cabanac-et-Villagrains

What to know

The site is outdoors, with no building or reception facilities on location.
Visiting means walking over wooded, uneven ground, so sturdy footwear is advisable.
There are no set opening hours or admission fees, as this is a listed archaeological site rather than a staffed monument.
The ditches and earthworks are easier to spot where vegetation is thinner, so some attention is needed to read the terrain.

Where this château is

Cabanac-et-Villagrains · Gironde · Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Map of the area around Mottes castrales de Cabanac-et-Villagrains

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This châteauChâteaux within 40 km

Address

32 Rte des Graves, 33650 Cabanac-et-Villagrains

Directions open from wherever you are, by car or public transport.

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2.3 / 5from 3 Google reviews

Heritage status: Registered historic monument (inscrit); Mérimée record PA33000232

Frequently asked

Can the Cabanac-et-Villagrains castle mounds be visited freely?: The site is outdoors and accessible without fixed hours or ticketing, as it consists of open-air archaeological remains.
What can still be seen there?: Two earthen mounds remain, one around ten metres high and the other wider and lower, surrounded by ditches and a bank marking a former bailey.
Since when has the site been protected?: Both mounds were listed as historic monuments by a decree of 16 April 2020.
Are excavations carried out at the site?: Yes, archaeological digs have taken place there since the 2010s.