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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Château de Champs-sur-Marne, located in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region, was built between 1703 and 1707 by architects Pierre Bullet and his son Jean-Baptiste Bullet de Chamblain. Originally commissioned by the financier Charles Renouard de La Touanne, he was completed under the direction of Paul Poisson de Bourvalais, another financier of Louis XIV. This castle embodies the ideal of the "pleasure house" of the early eighteenth century, with a "U" plan and a rotunda opening onto the gardens, reflecting a growing quest for comfort and elegance.

The estate, with an area of 85 hectares, combines a French garden and a landscaped park, labeled "Remarkable Garden". His history was marked by a succession of prestigious owners, including the Marquise de Pompadour, who stayed there between 1757 and 1759, and Count Louis Cahen d'Anvers, who restored him at the end of the nineteenth century. The latter makes it a worldly reception place during the Belle Époque, welcoming personalities such as Marcel Proust or Alphonse XIII of Spain. In 1935, the castle was given to the French state and listed as a Historic Monument.

Between 1959 and 1971, General de Gaulle used the castle as an official residence to receive heads of state, mainly African, in the context of independence. After this period, the estate is entrusted to the National Monuments Centre and open to the public. It also houses the Historical Monuments Research Laboratory in its communes. The castle, restored after the collapse of a ceiling in 2006, reopens in 2013 and participates in many cultural events.

Architecturally, the castle is distinguished by its "massé" plan and its innovative interior distribution, with independent rooms served by corridors, an autonomous dining room and a monumental staircase. The facades, soberly decorated, are inspired by Palladian villas and 17th century French castles, such as Vaux-le-Vicomte. The gardens, originally designed by Claude Desgots, student of André Le Nôtre, were redesigned in the 19th century by landscapers Henri and Achille Duchêne, combining classical elements and English landscapes.

The Château de Champs-sur-Marne is also known for having served as a decor for nearly 80 cinematographic and television productions, due to its sumptuous setting and its resemblance to the Palace of L'Elysée. Today, it remains an emblematic place of French heritage, combining history, architecture and nature, while welcoming cultural events and scientific research.

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