Château de l'Estang, Medieval castle in Orbigny, France

Château de l'Estang is a Louis XII-style castle on a promontory above the confluence of two streams, one feeding a large pond that gives the estate its name. From the 15th-century fortress it keeps a cylindrical tower with machicolations and a wall-walk. The main building has two angled wings, one with a polygonal stair turret, the other ending in a chapel; a circular dovecote with a lantern-topped conical roof stands in the park.

Built in the 15th century as a fief of the châtellenie of Montrésor, the castle was largely remodelled a century later. It was assaulted by the English during the Hundred Years' War and nearly stormed by the inhabitants of Loches, short of grain. In 1590 a band of looters posing as Ligueurs seized it and ransomed nearby properties until troops based at Loches dislodged them.

The name comes from the large pond fed by one of the two streams below the promontory; spellings varied between l'Étang, les Étangs and l'Estang, the last kept on the IGN map. In the ground-floor gallery, some capitals carry the arms of the Noroy family, owners in the 16th century: argent with a fess gules surmounted by a sable lion.

The property sits roughly 2 kilometers southeast of Orbigny's center and is best reached on foot from the village. Keep in mind this is a private residence and access is limited to special occasions and public events.

A circular dovecote with a conical roof topped by a lantern stands in the park, separate from the main building. The castle also holds a fireplace moved here in 1959 from the Château de l'Isle Savary in Clion, Indre.