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The Monument
The castle of Coucy’s ruins are situated on a promontory which dominates the Oise and the Ailette valleys, between the region of Soissons and the region of Laon. It was constructed at the beginning of the 13th century by Enguerrand of Coucy, called “the Builder”. With its huge keep as high as the cathedral Notre-Dame’s tower, the castle was part of a group of fortified constructions. Joined to the Crown in the 16th century and demolished by Mazarin in 1652, the fortress was reinforced by Viollet-le-Duc before being seriously damaged during the First World War.
Lodging
See the listing of the Hotels in Soissons
Practical information
Main entrance to the Château de Coucy
02380 Coucy-le-Château
Going there
From Reims or Compiègne: main road N 31 towards Soissons, then secondary roads D 1 towards Saint-Quentin and D 5 to Coucy-le-Château Auffrique (D 5 is limited to 3,30 m in height and 2,70 m in width)
North of the Reims/Rouen road
19 km north of Soissons
Opening / Closing
Open
2 May to 4 September : 10 am to 1 pm and 2 to 6:30 pm
5 September to 30 April : 10 am to 1 pm and 2 to 5:30 pm
Last admission 45 mn before closing
Closed
on January 1, May 1, November 1, November 11 and December 25