René de Lucinge, Allymes castle's humanist
And also
The tops
René, the humanist
The Allymes and Ain department
Let me introduce René de Lucinge. The humanist, the writer, the diplomat, the quiet man famous for one great thing: this chap negotiated the treaty of Lyon with king of France Henri IV and duke of Savoie Charles-Emmanuel.
It brought Bugey area (where is located les Allymes) under the jurisdiction of France, in 1601... which will create the current department of Ain !
René’s castle
What about Lucinge? Well, tired of political life, he took rest in his Allymes castle.
By that time, it looked like a quadrilateral flanked by a keep and high towers, surrounded by strong walls; inhabitants of the village lived in the farmyard.
We still can see this huge 30 metres keep with its wall 2,50 metres thick. Its two floors have a vast square room.
The visit of les Allymes
In the keep, we have exhibitions, a nice collection of farming equipment from the 20th c… even René de Lucinge has his own exhibition in a Louis XIII style room.
Don’t miss the covered way with its pretty view on the Bresse landscape.