Chateau de Valencay

Napoleon told Talleyrand, his foreign minister, to acquire a suitable estate for receiving diplomats, and Talleyrand bought Valencay in 1803 with a mixture of state and personal money. Its combination of a huge round Renaissance keep-shaped pavilion with later classical wings is unusual, and inside the rooms are furnished in Empire style with pieces Talleyrand used. From 1808 the deposed Spanish royal family, including the future Ferdinand VII, were held here in comfortable captivity for six years. Talleyrand employed Antonin Careme, the most celebrated chef of the era, and the kitchens are shown as part of the visit. Valencay also gives its name to a pyramid-shaped goat cheese.

History

The site held a Gallo-Roman villa, Valenciacus, and by the 10th or 11th century a massive tower; its first recorded lord, Bertrand, received it by a charter of 1026-1047. The present château was built by the Estampes family of financiers over some 200 years, begun in 1540 for Jacques d'Estampes on the site of the demolished castle and finished in the 18th century with the south tower, and among its many later owners was the Scottish banker John Law, who bought it in 1719. In 1803 Napoleon had Talleyrand buy it as a place to receive foreign dignitaries, and Ferdinand VII of Spain, his brother Carlos and his uncle Antonio spent six years here in captivity until the Treaty of Valençay of 1813; Talleyrand's chef was Marie-Antoine Carême. Talleyrand was buried in the park after his death in 1838, his descendants kept the estate until 1952, and in 1979 it was sold to an association of historic châteaux (Wikipedia, Château de Valençay).

Highlights

• The Empire interiors - furnished rooms from Talleyrand's occupation.
• The great kitchens - the working rooms of Careme's period.
• The park and gardens - formal beds, a maze and roaming animals.
• The Spanish apartments - rooms of the six-year royal detention.

When to go

April to October; the chateau closes over winter. Costumed events and a car museum in the village run in season. Spring and early autumn are quiet.

Things to know

It is well off the main Loire chateau circuit and needs a car. The site adds family attractions like a maze and animals which sit oddly with the historic rooms. Winter closure is long.

Nearby

Chateauroux lies south; Blois is north.

Key facts