Château de Joviac, Medieval castle in Rochemaure, France.
Château de Joviac is a castle in Rochemaure that sits beside National Road 86 overlooking the Rhône River with several circular towers and a long facade. The building displays two levels of identical window openings that give it a balanced, symmetrical appearance.
In the 16th century Jacques d'Hilaire reinforced the castle by adding moats, thick walls, and turrets to protect the garrison and the Rhône trade route. These defensive upgrades made the building a significant stronghold in the region.
The property contains a chapel and various outbuildings that reflect how the castle functioned as a working estate across multiple centuries. Visitors can observe how different crafts and production activities were woven into daily life here.
The castle opens to visitors during summer months and has reception rooms available for events year-round. It is helpful to check local opening hours in advance to plan a comfortable visit.
A sophisticated water system from 1660 with a dam and arcade aqueduct supplied the estate's silk production year-round. This engineering system shows how critical textile manufacturing was to the economy of that era.
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