Castle and gardens of Villandry (Chateau de Villandry) description and photos - France: Loire Valley (Topic)

Castle and gardens of Villandry (Chateau de Villandry) description and photos - France: Loire Valley. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Chateau de Villandry.

Photo & Description

The Castle of Villandry, the last one to be built in the Loire Valley, is famous for its huge lush gardens. They are so magnificent that tourists often confess: they did not remember the castle itself, everything was overshadowed by the gardens.

Although the castle is undoubtedly also worthy of attention. It was built on the site where the feudal fortress of Colombier once stood. In 1189, in the tower of this fortress, the French king Philip Augustus negotiated with his enemy, the English king Henry II. The negotiations ended with the signing of the Colombier Peace Treaty in favor of Philippe-Augustus. In 1532, the new owner, Jean le Breton, built a castle in the French Renaissance style, leaving the old foundation and the donjon tower. The castle differs from other local ones in that it was not owned by the king or his favorite, and a major official, le Breton, was finance minister under Francis I, superintendent during the construction of the castle of Chambord, ambassador to Rome.

There, in Rome, he became interested in gardening. He applied his knowledge to build a castle - at its foot, le Breton laid gardens, already famous outside the Loire Valley.

In the 18th century, the estate was sold to the Marquis de Castellane, who rebuilt the building in the neoclassical style, and the gardens designed in the English spirit. Ownership passed from hand to hand (including the property of Napoleon's brother, Jerome Bonaparte). A truly new life began at the castle when it was acquired by Joachim Carvalho.

The Spanish doctor Carvalho bought Villandry in 1906, when the estate was in decline. The then owners were going to demolish it if no one buys the castle. Carvalho saved Villandry and has spent all his money on him ever since. He returned the former Renaissance look not only to the building, but also to the surrounding area.

A spacious "water garden" with swans, surrounded by linden avenues, sculpturally trimmed hedges, four "love gardens" ... All these beautiful and fragrant areas are on different levels (the view from above, from the castle, is unforgettable) ... The descendants of Carvalho, who still own the estate, continue to develop it: in 1970, a pharmaceutical garden was opened, and in 2008 - a "garden of the sun" on the uppermost terrace.

But, perhaps, the favorite part of tourists the local territory is a vegetable garden. Ornamental flower beds (I can't call them beds) of nine square plots of the garden are a real masterpiece of Villandry. Not only geometric shapes have been carefully thought out, but the color combinations of forty types of vegetables: gray leeks, red beets, jade green carrot leaves give the impression of a multi-colored checkerboard. Ornamental cabbage growing next to roses is not inferior to them in beauty.

There are only nine gardeners working here, and they have enough work: since 2009, the vegetable garden has become organic - no pesticides are used, natural feeding, weeding is done by hand.

In the gift shop, you can buy seeds of local plants to try to grow the same pumpkins, poppies, forget-me-nots or the same ornamental cabbage - it's lovely.

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Topic: Castle and gardens of Villandry (Chateau de Villandry) description and photos - France: Loire Valley.