Locals build then tear down cardboard castle in south-west France

Residents in a town in the south-west of France joined together to build a castle in three days, only to promptly tear it down.

It formed part of an artistic endeavour to reconstruct Graulhet’s (Tarn) lost castle, which was first destroyed in the 15th century, using cardboard.

The project, organised by the mairie in association with the firm Constructions Monumentales Participatives en Cartons d’Olivier Grossetête, took more than a year and half and involved schools, local associations and volunteers.

Part of the challenge was that while it is widely known that the town once had a castle, nobody knew what it looked like.

“There is hardly any trace,” project leader Hugo Planès from Graulhet mairie told France 3. “There are no pictures, no records.”

“It was already there in the 10th century because we know that in 960, the lord of Graulhet went on a pilgrimage to Saint-Jacques de Compostelle and bequeathed seven castles to his son – including this one.”

“But the 16th-century lord of Graulhet judged this castle to be in a poor state of repair and too gloomy, so he wanted to build a new one outside the town.”

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One and a half tonne cardboard castle

The cardboard reconstruction – and destruction – of Graulhet’s ‘gloomy castle’ turned out to be a joyful affair.

First, the intricate details of the castle’s facade were crafted by volunteers, under the watchful eye of the project’s designer, the artist Olivier Grossetête.

Then, 1,300 cardboard boxes weighing over one and a half tonnes were delivered to the central square in Graulhet.

The volunteers added elements to the castle from the bottom – lifting up the whole structure each time to put boxes underneath.

As a result, more and more arms were needed to lift the construction as the castle grew.

Castle deconstruction

By 17:00 on July 6, the cardboard castle in Graulhet’s main square was complete. However, locals only had one evening to admire their handiwork.

On Sunday, the volunteers returned, attaching ropes to the top of the structure, and with a collective heave, toppled it over. 

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Then they proceeded to clamber on top of the fallen boxes and flatten them.

For organiser Mr Planès, the fleeting cardboard castle left its mark.

“It was a great participative event,” he said. “And the people of Graulhet will certainly remember the castle now.”