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Origin and history

The Château de Choisy-le-Roi, located on the banks of the Seine, was originally built between 1678 and 1686 for the Grande Mademoiselle, cousin of Louis XIV, on the plans of Jacques IV Gabriel. The princess, who wanted to observe river traffic from her room, kept the surrounding woods despite the advice of André Le Nôtre, who considered the site unsuitable. The gardens, organized in parterres of symmetrical embroidery and groves, included a monumental orangery inspired by that of Saint-Cloud. At his death in 1693, the estate passed to the Grand Dauphin, then to the family Le Tellier before being acquired in 1716 by the Crown Princess of Conti, daughter of Louis XIV.

Under Louis XV (from 1739 on), the castle became an intimate royal residence, distinct from Versailles. The sovereign made important work by Jacques-Ange Gabriel, including the expansion of the central body, a theatre of performances, and the small castle housing the famous flying table, an ingenious mechanism for meals. Choisy was also the setting of fine dinners organized by Madame de Pompadour, where an art of the refined table developed, marking the French gastronomic history. The estate was also home to greenhouses that introduced the pineapple in France.

After the Revolution, the castle, transformed into a national good, was gradually dismantled. The materials were sold in the 19th century, and the remains disappeared with the urbanization of the 1960s. Today, only the two entrance pavilions (classified as Historical Monuments in 1927), the parish church built by Gabriel, and scattered elements such as the wrought iron ramp preserved at the Museum Le Secq des Tournelles in Rouen remain. 3D reconstitutions make it possible to imagine its past fascist.

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