Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers is a 13th-century castle located 200 miles southwest of Paris in the Les Trois-Moutiers commune in France. It was built and owned by the Bauçay family in the 1200s. The castle was taken several times by the English during the Hundred Years’ War and devastated during the French Revolution.
Over the years, it was owned by many different people, and restoration attempts were made in 1809 and 1870. Unfortunately, in 1932, a huge fire broke out and damaged most of the buildings in the castle, which after that stood abandoned for 85 years.
But instead of letting it become a ruin, in 2017, a group of locals joined together in an attempt to buy the property from its current owner and save the castle from further destruction. They took their proposition online, and with the help of the Adopte un château association and the heritage preservation start-up Dartagnans, created a crowdfunding campaign.
The project was the first of its kind in France, and it soon went viral, grabbing the attention of thousands of people from all over the world, who all participated with their donations. The community raised over €1,600,000 and collectively bought the castle.
As a result of this, every person became a co-owner and a guardian of the castle. Everyone has an equal say in the decisions regarding the castle’s future, but their biggest motive is to save and preserve this beautiful landmark for generations to come.
Once a private property, the grounds are now open to the public, and anyone willing to donate 50 euros or more can become a share-holder of the castle. So, if you’ve ever wanted to own a castle, you can make your wish come true by taking part in saving this magical place.