Abandoned Castle - The Saudi Princess's Castle

We received photos from a traveler and compiled them into a historical summary.

This castle, one of many in the Rhône Valley, overlooks the town with imperial majesty. Perched atop its cliff, it is a structure of extraordinary panache. It was erected in 1866, right in the heart of the vineyards.

It was the dream of a Saudi princess. In 2014, she purchased it with the intention of creating a luxury hotel. Her husband was an entrepreneur, but in the meantime, he passed away. The dream collapsed; the castle was purely and simply abandoned, and the princess never responded to another missive.

The castle then entered its darkest hours. Vandalism, theft, the chaos of "free parties," and even an electrical fault that set one of the outbuildings ablaze (though the main castle was spared). The damage was considerable.

As if falling from the sky, a former convict took it upon himself to save the castle. Alone and courageous, he boarded up and fenced off every entrance. He was quickly intercepted by the police, who reminded him that he was legally barred from entering this municipality. The end—once again.

Since then, the Saudi princess has appointed a caretaker. The site is under video surveillance and equipped with motion detectors. The vast majority of the debris has been cleared. It is now under watch.

Will the castle find a new life, or is it destined for another period of neglect? The history of such places is rarely a straight line.