Castle Mont Rouge is a castle located on Red Mountain in Rougemont, North Carolina, north of Durham.The News and Observer, "A castle? A Work of Art? Mont Rouge is a labor of love", Adrianne Cleven, 3 Nov 2019, 1DThe Herald Sun, “Castle Mont Rouge in Rougemont is art oddity, labor of love”, Adrianne Cleven, 3 Nov 2019, 1A.The Roxboro Courier-Times, "Castle Mont Rouge offers Magic for Many", Cameron Beach, 31 Dec 2019, IA The castle was designed by American sculptor Robert Mihaly, known for his work at Duke University and the National Cathedral, as a private residence and country studio. The design was based on architecture from Central and Eastern Europe, complete with 18 pinnacles and a turret.
Robert Mihaly began construction of Castle Mont Rouge without a blueprint in the year 2000.The Durham News (N&O), A Castle Takes Shape in Rougemont, Elizabeth Shestak, Nov 3–4, 2007. pg. A.1"Castle Mont Rouge" Rougemont Reporter, Summer, 2006.Blackburn, C. "Turrets and Towers Tar Heel Style." Our State, May 2006.
The castle was abandoned in 2006, although a fundraising campaign featuring Mihaly's children was launched to fund renovating it in 2014. The castle was still abandoned as of 2016. Mihaly began restoring the castle in 2017, citing his desire to finish it while his children are still children.
The castle has been cited as a Disney-like fairytale castle, an abandoned or deserted castle, a quirky North Carolina destination, and the most bizarre building in North Carolina.
Much rumor and lore has been built around Castle Mont Rouge and its creator, Robert Mihaly. Mihaly referenced the rumor about the death of his wife in a televised news story, acknowledging that he is not a widower.
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