Deux Moulins Castle in Algiers

   Along the rocky coast of Rais Hamidou in Algiers, there is an imposing colonial style building facing the sea named "le Château des Deux Moulins"or" Rais Hamidou Castle" . This Castle was built by a baron in the colonial era then bequeathed or sold to the French authorities to be dedicated to the education of children (Primary School of Deux Moulins) in the 1950s. It was a mixed school where both French and Algerians attended this school together and all the teachers were French. 

   After independence in 1962, many people came from the countryside to flee misery and settled in Algiers; twenty families have lived illegally in the Castle but a few years ago, the authorities razed all these clandestine dwellers. Since that, it remained completely abandoned and many of its parts collapsed. Frankly speaking, when the night gets dark, the ruins can scare the passersby. According to the inhabitants of the neighborhood who have known this place very well since their earliest childhood, this castle has become during a period of time a haunted house. They said that after dark, the chairs were flying; a superhuman force seemed to be banging against the walls and, according to the witnesses, the clothes of the locals fluttered in the rooms like a horror movie. This anecdote is just one of many examples of rumors circulating on Rais Hamidou's Castle. In 1897, "The Haunted Castle" film directed by Georges Méliès was released.

   This building undertook a huge campaign of rehabilitation and restoration since it was part of the "tourism expansion project". According to representatives of the commune of Rais Hamidou, its restoration was announced in 2012 but started three years later. This project aimed to transform an area of 3,000 square meters into a tourist complex including hotels, swimming pools, restaurants, car parks and recreational areas.

Written by ARAB Sabrina