France, Balleroy #001
The castle was built in 1631, together with the village. The architect was the famous Francois Mansart. The client for the construction of the castle was Jean de Choisy (advisor and secretary to the king and the duke of Orléans). It is a forerunner of the classical French architectural style. The building, the gardens and the entire village are planned and austerely symmetrical.
Mansart also designed the original garden. But in the meantime something has changed. When the owners of the castle who had fled before the French Revolution (1789-1799) finally dared to return home, they had the garden tackled immediately. The neglected park was refurbished and redecorated in the natural and romantic style that was totally hip at the time. In the garden there is an enormous pigeon loft, with space for no less than 1600 pigeons. The current French gardens were laid out here at the beginning of the twentieth century.
Since 1951 the castle has been a protected historical monument. The castle has been in the hands of the Forbes family since 1970.
France, Balleroy #001
The castle was built in 1631, together with the village. The architect was the famous Francois Mansart. The client for the construction of the castle was Jean de Choisy (advisor and secretary to the king and the duke of Orléans). It is a forerunner of the classical French architectural style. The building, the gardens and the entire village are planned and austerely symmetrical.
Mansart also designed the original garden. But in the meantime something has changed. When the owners of the castle who had fled before the French Revolution (1789-1799) finally dared to return home, they had the garden tackled immediately. The neglected park was refurbished and redecorated in the natural and romantic style that was totally hip at the time. In the garden there is an enormous pigeon loft, with space for no less than 1600 pigeons. The current French gardens were laid out here at the beginning of the twentieth century.
Since 1951 the castle has been a protected historical monument. The castle has been in the hands of the Forbes family since 1970.