Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Vaucouleurs came into being in 1686, when Jean-Baptiste Jodelet, intendant of the bishop of Fréjus, acquired a plot of 50 hectares in Puget-sur-Argens. He built a wine farm and planted vineyards, laying the foundations of the current estate. When he died in 1697, his son Honoré inherited the estate, which then passed into the hands of local bourgeois families, such as the Bruns in the 18th century.

In 1772 Nicolas Rey, mayor of Puget-sur-Argens, bought the estate and erected an imposing bastide on a flat rock, the highest point of the property. Under his leadership, the estate became a place of worldly receptions, welcoming renowned personalities. Legend has it that Napoleon Bonaparte, who returned from Egypt in 1799, stopped there before joining Paris. The bastide, then called "Bastide Rey", was offered in 1831 to Joseph Court, who renamed it "Villa Sophie" in honour of his wife.

In the 19th century, Joseph Court radically transformed the property by adding two crenellated towers, gardens to the French and a hippodrome, giving it the medieval aspect that earned it its present name as Vaucouleurs castle. Lihippodrome, inaugurated in 1883, attracts more than 5,000 visitors and becomes a popular place of high society, before giving way to the vineyards. The castle then changed several times, including Madame Robilis, Monsieur Po, and Monsieur Sénéchal.

During World War II, the castle was requisitioned by the Italian and then German military. The latter plan to install batteries to counter an allied landing, but the architecture of the towers, covered with steep roofs, makes the project impossible. The guns are finally placed on the heights of the domain. Marshal Rommel visits the premises for strategic reasons. After the Germans left, American troops settled briefly, marking the liberation.

The Château de Vaucouleurs welcomed many historical figures, including Napoleon, Marshal Rommel, General Eisenhower, Commander Cousteau and Charles de Gaulle. Guillaume Le Bigot, owner of the castle from 1943 to 1977, was his ministerial delegate to the navy. Today, the castle remains a symbol of the wine and historical heritage of the Var.

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