The Dukes of the Bourbon castle in Montluçon, Medieval castle in Montluçon, France.

The Dukes of the Bourbon castle stands on the western edge of a pentagonal plateau above Montluçon. Its surviving 15th-century wing is a rectangular two-storey stone lodging under a steep grey slate roof, with a square clock tower topped by an open lantern and, at the other end, a shorter conical-roofed tower. A ground-level arcade of pale stone pillars carries a long wooden gallery with a dark X-patterned railing.

The fortress was founded in 1070 by Guillaume de Bourbon and served as the seat of the family during their rise to power. The building experienced English occupation between 1171 and 1188 before returning permanently to French control.

The castle's name recalls the Bourbons, who held Montluçon from 1070 and turned the fortress into a pleasure residence in the 15th century. Charles VII stayed here often, and Louis XI seized the castle and nearly met his death within its walls. The clock tower's heraldic carvings were the only elements destroyed during the Revolution.

The castle sits on a hilltop, which means the walk up requires some effort but rewards visitors with wide views of the surrounding landscape. Wear comfortable shoes since the paths to and around the building are uneven and steep.

The wooden gallery seen along the courtyard facade was rebuilt in the 1935 restoration; the medieval one had been removed in the 19th century to make way for concrete structures. The same campaign left cement on the Gothic dormer and on the walls of the second-floor room of the keep, held to be the bedroom where Louis II died in August 1410.