hands-on learning

Once beyond the doors of the entrance barn, visitors are plunged into a by-gone age. No mechanical sounds, no motor engines – not even mobile phones! – but a natural setting which awakens the senses.

Explore the construction site to the rhythm of chisels on stone, saws ripping through wood, the beat of horses’ hooves, hammers striking anvils…

An immersion in the 13th-century

Contrary to the majority of construction sites, Guédelon is not just accessible to members of the public, they are positively welcomed! One of the site’s principal aims is to demonstrate and explain different heritage skills to a wide audience.

Extracting and dressing stones, rubble walling, woodworking, transporting loads by horse and cart…are some of the skills and techniques that visitors can see on site. Visitors are encouraged to watch, but also to talk with the craftsmen and women in order to better understand their work.