The Hostellerie

In the year 857, the Benedictine monastery of Bonneval was founded and became so powerful that there was never a lord in Bonneval. Justice was administered by the monks but could not be enforced within their territory. Therefore, there was mention of the gibbet of Guibert, on the outskirts of their territory, from the early days of the abbey.

Later, Bonneval became a very important grain market, one of the most important in the region. The town of Bonneval belonged to the kings of France, but the fiefdom of Guibert was subject to the lord count of Dunois, and thus to the famous Dunois, companion of Joan of Arc from 1420 onwards.

During the Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453), the town of Bonneval was besieged many times, and the destruction was enormous in the town and at Guibert. After the Hundred Years’ War, the Château was in ruins. It was later rebuilt in the early Renaissance period. Many kings of France would come to stay in Bonneval. It is highly likely that some of them came to Guibert.

It is reported that Lord de Guibert, François du Chatel, governor of the town of Bonneval from 1592 to 1616, is said to have received King Henri IV at Guibert. He indeed fought in the region for a long time and transferred the jurisdictions from Chartres to Bonneval until the date of his coronation in 1594.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the families of Varades, de Fresques, le Mairat, d’Archambault, and finally Breton owned the property. Mr. Breton demolished the old castle and rebuilt it in 1767. It was then a very large estate of over 1000 hectares.

In 1760, the road to Spain (current RN10) was planned and cut the estate in two. The d’Archambault family was not powerful enough to divert it and subsequently sold their domain. The road was completed in 1780. The Revolution passed without damage to the Château and its inhabitants.

At the end of the 19th century, the war of 1870 caused much devastation in the region, and the castle was not spared. It was restored in 1887, and the interiors were renovated. The Château was then owned by the Duchon, Jouanneau, and Roullier families.

During the World War II (1939-1945), the Kommandantur occupied the Château and completely ravaged the place. The icehouse became a prison and torture chamber. Heavily damaged, the castle became a place of accommodation for people who had lost their homes during the bombings and was eventually transformed into a hotel in 1954. It was at this time that the moat was filled and the medieval gatehouse was destroyed.

The new owners of Hostellerie du Bois Guibert were the Legrand, Guérin, Leluc, and more recently Pisanté families.