Sancerre
It is a natural fortress 312 meters in height. The Counts of Champagne built fortifications there in the 12th century. During the French Wars of Religion the Huguenot people were besieged there for 8 months in 1572/3. About 500 people died, mostly of starvation.  The siege of Sancerre was written about by a Protestant minister Jean de Léry, who survived the battle, in The Memorable History of the Siege of Sancerre (1574).    A mansion was built on the ruins of the original Chateau de Sancerre in 1874.