Un premier château est attesté à la Ferté-Vidame en 985. Un second est bâti au XIVᵉ siècle, sur ses vestiges. Démoli, puis reconstruit au XVIIIᵉ siècle, il est agrandi, transformé, puis abandonné. Confisqué, pillé, il est en partie ruiné lors de la Révolution française. Propriété de grandes familles au fil des siècles, il change à plusieurs reprises de mains, avant d’être progressivement cédé à l’État, qui ouvre la ruine et son parc au public.
Il reste de cette longue histoire une ruine impressionnante, au cœur d’un parc monumental, désormais presque vide. Autour des vestiges du Château de la Ferté-Vidame, un dispositif de relevé et de reconstruction numérique se déploie le long de rails, restituant progressivement une architecture en disparition.
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A first castle is recorded at La Ferté-Vidame as early as 985. A second was built in the 14th century on its remains. Demolished and then rebuilt in the 18th century, it was enlarged, transformed, and eventually abandoned. Confiscated and looted, it was partly ruined during the French Revolution. Owned by great families over the centuries, it changed hands several times before being gradually transferred to the State, which opened the ruins and its park to the public.
What remains of this long history is an impressive ruin, set within a monumental park, now almost empty. Around the remains of the Château de la Ferté-Vidame, a system of surveying and digital reconstruction unfolds along rails, gradually restoring an architecture in disappearance.
© Guillaume Bellanger