About the Association
Who We Are
Since 1961, over three generations, volunteers have been bringing the fortress back to life, stone by stone.
ASSOCIATION
The Friends of Montcornet
The Friends of Montcornet are volunteers committed to preserving the ruins of Montcornet Castle and opening them to the public in order to share its historical heritage. Since the 1960s, this association has worked tirelessly across three generations to protect the castle’s ancient walls, organize events and guided visits, and study its history.
If you would like to contribute your knowledge and skills or support our work, please contact us!
A HUMAN ADVENTURE
People Come for the Stones, They Stay for the Connections
Above all, the association is about people. Across three generations, volunteers from all walks of life come together for restoration projects, shared meals, and celebrations at the foot of the fortress walls.
Everyone brings their energy, their hands, or their expertise—and leaves with new friendships and the feeling of having helped extend eight centuries of history.
SHARED MOMENTS
Life Within the Association
Restoration projects, medieval festivals, welcoming visitors, and countless memorable moments shared together: a glimpse into everyday life at the castle.
PASSING IT ON
A Craft Handed Down from Generation to Generation
Each season, new faces join the experienced volunteers. People learn how to uncover a vault, read a stone wall, handle a trowel—and above all, how to pass knowledge on. What the builders of the House of Croÿ once erected is now preserved by entire families, ensuring that the fortress will endure for centuries to come.
Abbé Bernard Lussigny
(1921 – 2009)
Founding President of the Friends of Montcornet Association and of the Castle Property Company (SCI).
Born in 1921 into a bourgeois family in Valenciennes, he developed a passion for chemistry, electricity, and soon archaeology from an early age. Ordained as a priest in Cambrai in 1949, he became a teacher and founded flying clubs as well as shelters for the homeless. In 1959, he discovered Montcornet and began the major restoration works.
A priest by vocation and an epicurean by inclination, archaeologist, hunter, sports car enthusiast, and self-proclaimed “Marquis of Montcornet,” he embraced both his passions and his contradictions. Vegetation had engulfed the remains of the former Croÿ fortress and Michelet’s “feudal coliseum”; he devoted the rest of his life to bringing them back to light.
“It was love at first sight. When you have a passion, you must live it to the fullest.”
Bringing Heritage Back to Life
Excerpt from an interview published in L’Ardennais, February 1963.
“It was a dream I had cherished for years: to own a castle. Not for the pleasure of being a lord of the manor, but because I had long been devoted to the study of the past.” Around him gathered a team: “young and older people, students and former students, singles and families, who come here to work whenever they have free time.”
He added: “Do not be too impatient; it will take us years and years, and even then it will never truly be finished. Look at this tiny piece of rusted iron—it is the spring of a flintlock pistol. Centuries ago, a gunsmith forged and tempered it with care. To me, it is a treasure.”
“If you want people to love one another, make them build a tower together.”
ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPÉRY, QUOTED BY THE ABBÉ
International Scientific Conference
To mark the 450th anniversary of the death of Antoine the Calvinist, Baron of Montcornet, the association organized an international scientific conference in May 2017 entitled: “Building the Frontier: The Croÿ Family, Montcornet and the Wars of Religion” The event was held at both the church and the castle of Montcornet as part of the Refo500 program.
View the Scientific Conference →
THE CASTLE
What If You Came to Discover It for Yourself?
Casemates, underground passages, and panoramic views over the valley: Montcornet Castle is open to visitors from April to September. Our association welcomes you throughout the season and continues, modestly, to care for this remarkable site. Your visit and support are the best way to help keep this heritage alive.
