20-bedroom French fort with a gruesome history could be yours… for £4 million

A historic fortress dating back to the 13th century has been put on the market for £4 million – but behind its stunning exterior lies a rather gruesome past.

Now a towering 20-bedroom chateau in Hautes-Alpes, France, the property was once the site of witch burnings.

The huge house comes complete with soldiers’ barracks, a bakery, a hospital, storage buildings and even a chapel – all of which are currently open to the public from May to September.

Fort Queyras was built in 1265 and was used in the 15th and 16th centuries as a place for witch trials, where ‘witches’ were burned at the stake.

In 1692, a French military engineer made some improvements to the house, as well as others in the region, to improve all of the fort’s defenses ahead of future battles.

Historic 13th century fortress where witches were at stake comes on the market for £4 million

Unknowingly, these major adjustments turned out to be important, since the fort was used during the Second World War.

In the 1950s, the fort was converted into a children’s holiday camp, before returning to civilian life in 1967.

This unique property is now used as a family home, as well as a museum, wedding venue and historic chateau, admired by the general public in the summer months.

The fort has 20 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms and stands on a plot of 40,335 square meters.

The bedrooms are decorated in a traditional style, all with beautiful, long shuttered windows.

It is currently open to the public from May-September

The huge house comes complete with soldiers’ barracks, a bakery, a hospital, storage buildings and even a chapel

Fort Queyras was built in 1265 and used as a site for witch trials in the 15th and 16th centuries

Unknowingly, these major adjustments turned out to be important, since the fort was used during the Second World War

In the 1950s, the fort was converted into a children’s holiday camp, before returning to civilian life in 1967

The bedrooms are decorated in a traditional style, all with beautiful, long shuttered windows

The bathrooms celebrate a vintage aesthetic, with cream walls and rounded corners.

The kitchen also consists of traditional ovens and exposed brick, wood burning stoves, carrying history in the decor.

Located in Hautes-Alpes, a town in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region of southeastern France, the beautiful fortress sits atop a rocky perch surrounded by scenic views of the surrounding countryside.

The house is currently for sale for £3,989,025 (EUR 4,500,000) for history buffs.

The fort itself is a collection of buildings accessed through the main drawbridge entrance.

A cobbled lane leads to the main courtyard, where a pretty lawned terrace and private gardens can be admired.

The property is currently available from Leggett.

This unique property is now used as a family home, as well as a museum, wedding venue and historic chateau, admired by the general public in the summer months

A historic fortress dating back to the 13th century has hit the market for £4 million – but behind its stunning exterior lies a rather gruesome past

The house is currently for sale for £4 million

The bathrooms celebrate a vintage aesthetic, with cream walls and rounded corners

A historic fortress dating back to the 13th century has hit the market for £4 million – but behind its stunning exterior lies a rather gruesome past

Located in Hautes-Alpes, a town in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region of southeastern France, the beautiful fortress sits atop a rocky perch surrounded by scenic views of the surrounding countryside

The fort has 20 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms and stands on a plot of 40,335 m²

The kitchen also consists of traditional ovens and exposed brick, wood burning stoves, carrying history in the decor