Posted on Oct 1, 2023
In France, workers build a castle from scratch the 13th century way
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https://www.npr.org/2023/10/01/ [login to see] /france-medieval-guedelon-castle-burgundy
Deep in a forest of France's Burgundy region, a group of enthusiasts is building a medieval castle the old-fashioned way — that is, with tools and methods from the late 13th century.
Some of those working here are heritage trade craftspeople, others are ardent history buffs, but all say they share a deep respect for nature and the planet, and a desire to return to simpler times.
"This is a place you experience with all your senses," says Sarah Preston, communications director and guide of these grounds known as Guédelon Castle. "As soon as we walk onto the site you smell the woodsmoke. There's something so evocative about these sites and sounds."
Deep in a forest of France's Burgundy region, a group of enthusiasts is building a medieval castle the old-fashioned way — that is, with tools and methods from the late 13th century.
Some of those working here are heritage trade craftspeople, others are ardent history buffs, but all say they share a deep respect for nature and the planet, and a desire to return to simpler times.
"This is a place you experience with all your senses," says Sarah Preston, communications director and guide of these grounds known as Guédelon Castle. "As soon as we walk onto the site you smell the woodsmoke. There's something so evocative about these sites and sounds."
In France, workers build a castle from scratch the 13th century way
Posted from npr.orgPosted in these groups: 
France
World History
France World History
Posted 7 mo ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."To lift the tons of wood and stone needed to finish the castle's outer walls, two men walk inside a contraption that looks much like a giant hamster wheel. It's a kind of medieval crane with a central axle and ropes. Known as a treadmill crane, it can pivot and raise or lower materials, depending on which way the workers walk inside it. The only modern addition at Guédelon is a safety brake."...
..."To lift the tons of wood and stone needed to finish the castle's outer walls, two men walk inside a contraption that looks much like a giant hamster wheel. It's a kind of medieval crane with a central axle and ropes. Known as a treadmill crane, it can pivot and raise or lower materials, depending on which way the workers walk inside it. The only modern addition at Guédelon is a safety brake."...
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