A crumbling 13th century castle in France has been saved after a 6,500-strong online community joined forces to buy the ruined property.
Nestled away in the countryside, surrounded by water and invaded by vegetation, Mothe-Chandeniers chateau in Les Trois-Moutiers, central western France, is in desperate need of restoration.
But that could come sooner than first thought thanks to a group of internet users who contributed at least €51 (£45) each to raise the €500,000 needed to buy the ruined castle, BBC reports.
This means that all 6,500 participants are now co-owners of the abandoned castle, which had been damaged in a fire in 1932 and sold in batches in the 1980s.
According to AFP, a crowdfunding platform on Dartagnans.fr – a company that specialises in the rescue of historical buildings – was set up to gain as much signatures as possible.
The crowdfunding target specified 80 days to collect 500 euros – this target was reached on December 1st – some 24 days before the deadline.
The crowdfunding page reads: ‘”First goal achieved! On the way to the 2nd landing. It’s done, it’s historic! The Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers now belongs to thousands of Internet users. Through this collective purchase, we believe in the preservation and development of the heritage of tomorrow and prove that the civic strength is always the greatest. Thanks to the thousands of anonymous people!”
Romain Delaume, co-founder of Dartagnans.fr, told AFP that the new co-owners includes the “participation of 45 nationalities”.
With a proposed five-year business plan, Delaume said the goal is to reach a total of one million euros, which will cover financial expenses, consulting architects, co-shareholders and state departments to build the restoration project. And all new participants can also become co-owners.
The crowdfunding page states:
“Each donor will be a shareholder and therefore co-owner of the castle. We intend to create a dedicated platform that will allow each owner to monitor the progress of works, events, project proposals and build a real collaborative and participatory project.
“To make an abandoned ruin a collective work is the best way to protect it over time. Let’s give a second life to the Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers by preserving its unique aspect to the world where heritage and nature will mix with subtlety and harmony.”
Owners will democratically choose the purpose of the project, which has been conducted by Dartagnan, Adopt a Castle; an association that aims to save the castles in danger, and Friends of Mothe-Chandeniers; an association created in 2016 that fights to preserve the castle.
