A Castle, a Story; the Countess's Castle in Aokas, Bejaia Province

    Aokas is known for its high mountains (Imma Tadrart at an altitude of 437 m), its fairy caves and beautiful beaches, but also for its majestic architecture called: the Castle of the Countess or the Poisat Castle (Château Poizat). This residential mansion, built on a rampart, at the western entrance of the Bejaia city, is located along the RN9 road; 1.5 km from the city of Aokas and anyone who is crossing this road can easily see the Countess’s Castle facing the sea since it is located near the road. It is a real masterpiece which enjoys a natural position; it is surrounded by forests and facing the sea.

   The Countess's Castle, a monumental building is dated back to the colonial era. The construction work of this residence began in 1870 and ended in 1890 by a French army general, nicknamed Poison, who had no heirs. It is said that this general was married to an Algerian woman from the region of Bejaia and when it was done, he wanted to give it a surname of his wife, but she refused. Then the general decided to give to his sumptuous residence the name "The Countess's Castle" in the honor of his wife whom he loved so much.

   This architectural masterpiece was built with carved stone and extends on an area of 5983 m². It is composed of a main building (a two-storey house), a ground floor of 195 m² divided into three bedrooms, a reception hall and a showroom. 

    This beautiful construction, left in abeyance since independence, was ceded to the direction of youth and sports of Bejaia who intends to turn it into a youth hostel. Although, the castle was in advanced degradation due to its abandonment, it kept intact its stature it remains one of the most prominent architectural attractions of the Bejaia city. 

 Currently, it is totally renovated by the youth and sports services to become an international youth hostel. The Bejaia Youth and Sports Department transformed this beautiful architectural work into a youth hostel after a rehabilitation of the premises with the same building materials of that time, and an extension of more than 3000m2. The castle will have 120 beds, a conference room with 200 seats, library ,a cybercafé, a cafeteria , a gym, a restaurant with 70 seats + 20 VIPs, housing, underground transformed into a museum ,green spaces.

ARAB Sabrina