Guide Perigord_version anglaise

Germinal Peiro, President of the Department Assembly, MP and formerMayor of Castelnaud

©Titia Carrizey-Jasick

“I know that this is home”

“Castelnaud is the family cradle on my mother’s side. This maternal connection is so special that I can hardly express it.I feel great emotion each time I walk through Castelnaud,when the light falls on the stone slabs,each a chunk of history.The village has miraculously kept its soul, despite the thousands of visitors that come here.The will to keep the village alive while respecting heritage buildings has been a local concern,for over eight centuries.With its head in the stars,the castle looks out toward the river and watches over our homes.‘The river Hope,fluvial kingdom,soul of the valley’…The writer Signol described it best.When I’m here, I’m not checking my watch to see if I’m getting that little piece of happiness I deserve.I know that this is home.”

©Titia Carrizey-Jasick

A LITTLE BACKGROUND

Milandes castlewas partly built in 1489 and later remodelled as a romanticmanor house at the beginning of theXXth century. From the summer of 1947 to 1968, this was the realm of Josephine Baker and the twelve children of her “Rainbow Tribe” adopted with her husband Jo Bouillon. An extensive exhibition covers all aspects of the life of this great lady of music hall and the French Resistance. A falconry display and other shows including tropical bird feeding in the aviaries, entertain the whole family. Spring 2016 marks the end of a long-term project to resize the gardens around their most beautiful viewpoint. Les Milandes and Josephine Baker

© Jac' Phot

The Legend of the Coulobre

The village houses the headquarters of EPIDOR, a public coordinating structure that manages the aquatic environment of the Dordogne basin from its source, to its confluence with the Garonne River. EPIDOR has adopted the Coulobre as a mascot.

Once a cruel creature that dragged the mariners to theirs deaths at the bottom of the riverbed, the mythical monster has now taken on a more friendly appearance, in order to build respect and heighten awareness in the community and amongst visitors, of the river, its tributaries and its ecosystem.

© Jean-François Guerin

50

51

24+1 VILLAGES OF PÉRIGORD