Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Balincourt was built in the second half of the 18th century, around 1780, by architect Denis-Claude Liegéon for Charles-Louis Testu de Balincourt, Marshal of Camp, and his wife Anne Alexandrine de Bernard. Liegeon, architect of the Menus-Plaisirs, also designs the park, orangery and chapel, making this castle his most accomplished work. The original facade, decorated with a colossal peristyle of ionic columns and an oval chapel, was described with admiration by Jacques-Antoine Dulaure in 1786. A monumental statue of the Marshal of Balincourt, uncle of the sponsor, is erected in the park, complementing this prestigious ensemble.

During the Revolution, the owners were executed, and in 1803 the estate passed to Marshal Pierre Riel de Beurnonville, who introduced interior designs in Empire style. His widow, Félicité de Durfort, continued these transformations until his death in 1870. The castle then changed hands before being acquired in 1908 by King Leopold II of Belgium, who offered it to his mistress, Blanche Delacroix. The latter undertook major renovations, modernizing the interiors and adding luxurious comfort elements, such as a basement pool and a Greek chapel, under the direction of architect Charles Girault.

In 1915, the estate was sold to Sir Basil Zaharoff, a dealer in arms and finance, who made architectural and landscape changes with the help of architect Nikolaos Zahos and landscape designer Raffaele Mainella. The latter, nicknamed the "mage des jardins", enriched the park with picturesque factories (Gothic tower, Moorish loggia) and rearrangement of the orangery and chapel. The French-style gardens are decorated with Italian sculptures and hydraulic installations, while the facade on the park is transformed. Upon the death of Zaharoff, the castle was passed on to her daughter-in-law, Maria de los Angelos de Borbón, and then to her descendants, who celebrated several marriages in the 20th century.

The castle, classified as an additional inventory of historical monuments in 1989, illustrates a harmonious fusion of 18th century styles and early 20th century transformations. Its classical architecture, marked by ionic columns and carved frontons, coexists with antiquitant additions, such as the arc-de-circle colonnade inspired by the Erechtheion. The interiors, furnished by the house Jansen for Leopold II, and the exteriors, enriched by Mainella, bear witness to its turbulent history, between aristocratic fascists, political intrigues and industrial heritages.

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