Château Dauphin

Château-Dauphin is the name of the castle of the city of Pontgibaud in Auvergne. It owes its name to arms of the one who built in the late twelfth century: Robert I, Count of Auvergne, the arms which included a dolphin. The initial construction is changed in the fifteenth century by Gilbert Motier de La Fayette III, which strengthens the defenses and expanded the dungeon. Abandoned in the seventeenth century to a more comfortable building, damaged during the French Revolution, the castle was finally restored in the late nineteenth century by the Earl of Caesar III Pontgibaud

The main building is a double tower: in fact, a round tower forms a corner of the square keep strong. Both parties are independent. The square tower is built around a courtyard covered in the nineteenth century by a canopy. The fortifications consisted of seven rounds, six of which are still standing today. The castle also has a vegetable garden of the sixteenth century, also a historical monument and the museum of the silver mines of the canton of Pontgibaud.

The castle has been inhabited since 1756 by the same family after a musketeer of the King, Caesar I Moré. The current owners, the Earl and Countess of Gabriel Germiny are the descendants. The castle, the garden and museum are open to visitors.