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PETITION TO SAVE THE CHASSEIGNE CASTLE

REQUESTING THAT TAX AUTHORITIES PROSECUTE THE OWNERS FOR NON-PAYMENT OF TAXES AND FEES TO ALLOW THE PROPERTY TO BE RESOLD AT AUCTION TO RECOVER THE DEBT OF THE OWNERS.

Hello everyone,

For about two years, the Chasseigne castle has fallen prey to vandalism of all kinds. During the summer of 2020, it became one of the best-known castles in the world of urban exploration and was damaged more and more as videos about the castle were posted on social networks. Just search for “abandoned castle in France” on Google images. The Chasseigne is one of the first search results.

Since June 2020, young people have been mobilizing and getting together to try to find solutions to this problem, and in November 2020, they formed the organization “Friends of the Chasseigne” to try to save the castle and prevent vandalism. It worked very well, and vandalism decreased drastically. It should be noted that the owners of this castle are Indonesian and have been absent since 2017 and have never paid their taxes. They own or have owned other property in other countries. 

Their real estate in Holland and Switzerland was resold at auction to recover their debts caused precisely by the non-payment of taxes. They may own or have owned other assets in Europe and these various cases that have been discovered may be just the tip of the iceberg. The resale of their buildings has been possible in Switzerland and Holland because not paying taxes can result in prosecution and, the more time passes, the more expensive they become. To repay their debts, their goods were quickly resold at auction. THE PURPOSE OF THIS PETITION IS TO ASK THE TAX AUTHORITY AND THE AUTHORITIES TO APPLY THE SAME THING TO THE CHASSEIGNE CASTLE BY RESELLING IT AT AUCTION.

From the authorities' side, unfortunately, the only answer that is frequently given is that the property has an owner and that it is completely impossible to act. They don't analyze what type of owner this is? Is he honest? Does he deserve the same treatment as an owner who pays his taxes on time? Should we not rather model ourselves on what has been done in Switzerland and Holland? Some people wonder if these owners died due to their inactivity and therefore if there would be no heirs, but does that change anything? When an heir receives an asset, shouldn't they worry about it, especially after several years?

In view of the status quo instilled by the laws that do not allow us to act otherwise, the association has decided to take matters into its own hands BY REDUCING VANDALISM, BY SEALING BROKEN WINDOWS AND DOORS THAT WERE DESTROYED BY VANDALS. This was necessary in order to hopefully keep the building in its current state for as long as possible. Due to vandalism, some castles are sometimes completely destroyed in less than a year. Even if one day the owners came back to care for their property, which is unlikely, would they not be happy to learn that people motivated by the beauty of the place and its history tried to protect it as much as possible? The owners will rather want to file a complaint against the thieves than against the association that preserved what still remained to be preserved. Freedom of property in this specific case is not affected in its foundation if the positioning is made outside of rigid texts of law. As it must be mentioned and repeated, the owners are far from being blameless in fiscal terms.

The association has been able to drastically reduce vandalism, but unfortunately has been prevented, since July 2021, from continuing its actions onsite. We have been unable to secure access because, unfortunately, regional elected officials TOTALLY OPPOSE THE ACTIONS CARRIED OUT BY THE ASSOCIATION, WITH THE ONLY NOTE THAT THEY CONSIDER THE GROUP’S ACTIONS AS EQUAL TO THE VANDALS’. Friends of the Chasseigne reported various offenses on the castle property to the gendarmerie, which were not taken into account. It was on one of these occasions that the gendarmerie formally prohibited any further actions of the association by threatening to blame them for all the damage. Unfortunately, recently, as the association is hampered in its actions, THE CHÂTEAU STAIRWELL HAS BEEN COMPLETELY TAGGED and further significant damage is visible.

The only way to slow down the damage are actions carried out on site in parallel with administrative procedures, which can take several years. Will the authorities act in the same way as with the association if the place is permanently squatted by marginalized people, given the number of squatted areas where no one intervenes? The friends of the Chasseigne, in their positive actions for the castle, were ultimately treated worse than the vandals, by being PREVENTED FROM ALL ACTIONS, while the vandals themselves were never worried and continued to kill the castle. Furthermore, the neighborhood was also affected by violations on their private properties during the large waves of vandalism at the castle in 2020. Some people no longer feel safe in the village, and particularly in the evening, because the squatters are often very drunk, using drugs, and violent. Previously, the village was so calm and peaceful.

The association is not asking elected officials and the gendarmerie to circumvent laws but to lean more towards upholding them and to REPRIMAND THE REAL PEOPLE WHO ARE HARMFUL. Ultimately, the association almost did the work of the gendarmerie, securing the premises and allowing the neighborhood to have a little respite. Instead of trying to put obstacles in the way of those who do good, we should debate whether to change certain laws about private property. Doesn’t this highlight some gaps in the law? Currently, large and beautiful residences like the Chasseigne require a lot of money for their maintenance, which the local population no longer has. Some goods are then resold to wealthy foreigners who might have the means to pay for their upkeep. Sometimes it happens that they no longer care about their property at all. This would perhaps be a question of adapting the law concerning the ownership of property owned by foreigners not residing in France, and offering an easier way to expropriate in this type of situation. Debating to change the laws in relation to the evolution of society would be more important than holding back members of an association who ultimately have more courage than the elected officials.

THIS IS WHY SUPPORT IS REQUESTED FROM ALL OF YOU BY SIGNING THIS PETITION TO SAVE THE CHASSEIGNE CASTLE. This will perhaps allow it to become an example to save many other castles. THE TAX AUTHORITY AND THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES (THE COMMUNITY OF SAINT-PARIZE-LE-CHÂTEL AND THE PREFECT OF NIÈVRE) ARE THUS ASKED TO AUTHORIZE THE RESALE OF THE CASTLE AT AUCTION TO COVER THE DEBT OF THE OWNERS, TO ALLOW A NEW OWNER AT THE CHASSEIGNE CASTLE.

THE MORE THIS CAUSE IS BROUGHT TO PEOPLE’S ATTENTION, THE MORE IT WILL SHOW THAT THE SAVING OF THE CASTLE IS NOT ONLY THE CONCERN OF A SMALL GROUP OF PEOPLE BUT A GLOBAL WILL TO ACT TO PRESERVE HERITAGE.

PS: If you, readers of this petition, ask what to do with these castles once saved, it would not be out of the question to convert them with various programs depending on the state of conservation, the location and the needs of the city ​​or region. (School, community house, guest house, collective housing, museum, escape room, restaurant, entertainment venue, etc.).

WE THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT!