Nestling in the gentle rolling upland area of Limousin in central France is the small and remote hilltop hamlet of Courbefy. Having been occupied in one way or another since medieval times, it was used as an oppidum (settlement) in Roman times. The 13th century saw the building of a nearby castle, the ruins of which are still to be seen today. It has also been used as a place of worship as testified by the 17th century chapel that is still in use today. Its remoteness and history prompted the French historian and archaeologist Félix de Verneilh, in 1863, to describe it in a
journal thus:
Courbefy, with its desolate site, previously invaded by heather and shrubs that were never cut, with its huge ramparts and ditches, with a view across the Limousin and Perigord from the mountains of Grandmont to Cantal, to the vineyards of Bordeaux and Saintonge. Courbefy is grandiose, imposing…
But, however grandiose, imposing or desolate the village may be described, it was
rural depopulation in the 18th and 19th centuries generally throughout France, and also in the 20th century after WW1, that caused the steady decline in the number of people living in the hamlet.
Le Parisien newspaper reports that by the 1960s only four houses in the hilltop settlement remained occupied.
The newspaper goes on to report that the village was turned in a hotel complex in the 1970s and the owners managed to eke out an existence during the summer months until around 2008 when the venture collapsed with debts of some 580,000 Euros. It was initially put up for auction in the middle of February 2012 for a minimum price of 300,000 Euros but failed to attract a single bid so, as
Associated Press reports:
… fell into the hands of bank Credit Agricole…the bank hopes to put it up for auction again, and this time the odds are more promising. Since word leaked out to the media that an authentic French village was up for sale, Courbefy has swarmed with potential buyers, joined by curious hangers-on.
The new auction date has now been set for May 21, 2012.
So, just what would a prospective purchaser get for his or her money? Included in the sale are 19 properties in varying
states of disrepair, a swimming pool that requires significant renovation before it can be used for its intended purpose, a community hall, stables and several acres of land surrounded by woods that include oak and chestnut trees according to this
description of the site by the Limousin government.
