Hospice de Hautefort (Musée de la Médecine)
Standing directly opposite the château gate, the Hospice de Hautefort is one of the most atmospheric and overlooked buildings in the entire Dordogne — a perfectly preserved 17th-century almshouse that still contains its original pharmacy, operating theatre and wards. Most visitors walk straight past it on their way to the château; do not make that mistake.
The Building & Its History
Built in 1669 by Jacques-François de Hautefort as a charitable institution for the village poor, the hospice functioned as a working hospital until the 1970s. Its cruciform chapel at the centre of the plan allowed bedridden patients in each ward to see the altar — an architectural arrangement that was considered highly progressive at the time.
The building is constructed in the same warm limestone as the château and arranged around a cloister garden of medicinal herbs that is still cultivated today. The symmetry and calm of the courtyard feel almost monastic.
The Museum of Medicine
Inside, the Musée de la Médecine displays original 18th and 19th-century surgical instruments, apothecary jars, iron bed frames and nursing habits in rooms that have barely changed since the hospital closed. It is genuinely eerie and genuinely fascinating in equal measure.
The old pharmacy is the highlight: floor-to-ceiling oak shelving lined with hand-labelled ceramic jars, copper stills and leather-bound dispensary ledgers. It is one of the best-preserved rural apothecaries in France and alone justifies the modest entry fee.
More of Hautefort
Discover where to stay, what to do and the best deals for your trip.
Explore Hautefort →
