The castle of Pierrefonds was initially built in the 15th century, by Louis of Orleans, the youngest son of the royal family at that time.
It was dismantled in 1617 by king Louis XIII.
Today the castle is one of the best preserved in France because it has been entirely rebuilt in the 19th century. The architect that supervised the works was Viollet le Duc. He has also worked on numerous other buildings such as Notre Dame de Paris. Viollet le Duc reinterpreted the castled and made it a live museum of medieval fortifications. This castle is probably his masterpiece.
