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Montbrun
was renovated beginning in 1427 by another Pierre Brun,
the Archbishop of Limoges and a confidant of the new
French king Charles VII, with the round towers that are
present today. King Charles failed to make any successful
inroads in ousting the English and in 1444 Agne IV of
Oliergues, Viscount of Turenne, almost destroyed the
castle. A period of quiet was followed by an attack by
the Protestant Huguenots in 1569. While Montbrun was not
taken, the castle was severely damaged again. Montbrun
was sold in the 17th century to the Lambertie family, and
then became the property of the Pompadours and Conans,
among others, by marriage or inheritance. The castle was
ordered to be destroyed during the French Revolution, but
the job was not finished. The exterior of the castle was
restored by the de la Bonne family at the end of the 19th
century, but the interior was destroyed by fire during
World War I. Modest restoration was done in the 1960's by
the last of the de la Bonnes and the castle sold in 1992
to a speculator who practically emptied the castle. In
1995 the castle and its domain were bought by Maarten
Lamers, who has completely restored the castle to its former splendor. It's roughly
36,000 square feet includes 16 bedrooms, a library, a
billiard room, 3 dining rooms seating from a few to more
than 100, and much more.
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