Chapter 8: To Work Here, You Have to Forget

This chapter discussed Gilsdorf’s visit to France to see workers try to recreate medieval times by wearing period clothes and reconstructing a castle called Guédelon. Michel Guyot created the idea to build this castle and was interested in not only rebuilding the castle, but also creating an “experimental medieval work site to rediscover ancient building techniques.” Workers finished about three blocks a day, and when Gilsdorf visited, the construction site was almost halfway along it’s 25-year timeline to completion.

The castle does not imitate period fortifications, because few records detail how to build medieval architecture. Due to this, Guyot and the site supervisor Florian Renucci went to nearby ruins to get ideas for aspects that they could incorporate into their own castle. The workers were required to improvise and experiment while building. People from the surrounding communities were also invited to contribute to the project for a week or more. In fact, there were more visitors than workers. The natural setting and architecture of the site added to the authenticity, with the workers mostly avoiding modern construction techniques, and using few modern utilities. Gilsdorf discussed the common desire amongst Tolkenites to try and create their own hobbit holes to live in, which are often environmentally conscious and earthy. However, he emphasized that several also struggle with trying to find a simpler way of life whilst remaining a part of society.

Gilsdorf discussed how building the site at Guedelon will take a lot of work, patience, and time. Many workers at Guedelon have pledged to devote decades to this project, not only because they liked the idea, but also because they are being paid for their work. The project lets them contribute to something that’s bigger than them, see the results of their daily work, live simply, and “have [their] world in front of [them]. It is a lot more realistic and less of a spectacle than other attractions, and is already attracting a large of audience, many of which pay to see the site and thus funding the project. However, although the castle is beautiful and realistic, what drives the project is not the finished product, but the journey of making it. Gilsdorf stated how the site evoked a “melancholy for another age” in him, to see something he had only dreamed of that stood for strength and courage.  

By Nayantara Dutta