You Can Buy This Medieval Castle In France For $55–Sort Of

Non profit association Adopte un château and heritage preservation start-up Dartagnans.fr have organized the collective purchase of a medieval French castle.  

The 13^th century fortress, the Château de Vibrac, which sits in the Grand Cognac Region, is in state of disrepair and the two organizations have set up the crowdfunding to refurbish it and bring it back to life.

“Set on a unique terroir and fertile soil, this restoration project will revive both the estate’s stone and its earth,” the crowdfunding reads.

“Located on a unique and magical estate in the heart of the Cognac terroir, the ruins of this 13th century castle can be seen today on an archipelago of three islands embraced by the arms of the Charente river.”

By spending €50 ($55), each contributor will become a shareholder of the limited company owning the castle.

The first ‘level’ of the purchase, €100,000 ($110,000), has been reached in just four days – a record for the initiative. 

So far, €306,573 have been pledged through 3190 donations from 70 countries. The initiative, which aims to collect at least €320,000, will close on January 2.

Each buyer will get a lifetime access pass to the castle, a plot in the garden bearing their name and their say in the collective decisions regarding the refurbishing and managing of the château.  

“A platform will allow each shareholder to follow the restoration works’ progress, events held on the premises, and projects involving the monument, thus allowing everyone to stay in touch and participate,” the organizers explained on the website.

It is the third initiative for the two groups that have already bought the castles of La Mothe Chandeniers in 2017 and Ebaupinay in 2018, also in France.

The first two crowdfunding brought together more than 35,000 buyers from 115 countries around the world.