Château de Balazuc, Medieval castle in Balazuc, France.

Château de Balazuc is a medieval stone fortress set on a limestone cliff overlooking the Ardeche River, featuring pointed arch windows and a large medieval fireplace. The rectangular layout and defensive features show the building's original purpose as a stronghold.

The fortress was founded in the 11th century by the lords of Balazuc, who ruled the Bas-Vivarais region. The 13th century brought major expansions and architectural changes that shaped its current form.

The castle became a magnanerie, a silkworm farm, in the 19th century, when sericulture was widely practised in the Ardèche. The name Balazuc comes from the lords who built the keep; the village below grew around their fortress. The building has been a private residence since April 2020.

The castle has been a private residence since April 2020, so it cannot be visited inside; the stone building and its lower wing are seen from the village lanes and the cliff side. The village is built on a cliff above the Ardèche, and its lanes climb steeply around the castle.

The 1576 peace between the Catholic and Protestant factions of the Vivarais Estates was signed not here but at the Château de la Borie de Balazuc. The castle's own notable sale came in 1793, when it was seized as national property and auctioned for 625 livres, barely more than the village oven.