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Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Candé, located in Monts en Indre-et-Loire, finds its origins in the 10th century with a medieval strong house, replaced at the beginning of the 16th century by a Renaissance mansion built by François Briçonnet, Mayor of Tours. This Louis XII style pavilion, completed in 1508 by his daughter Jeanne, marks the transition between a defensive fortress and a pleasant residence. The estate, mentioned as Condatum in 915, derives its toponym from a confluence between Indre and the creek of the Bois de Saint-Laurent, where once stood a castral motte.

In the 19th century, the castle was profoundly transformed by Santiago Drake del Castillo, heir to a Cuban planter, who enlarged the residence between 1853 and 1867 by adding a northern wing and a neo-Gothic dungeon. His son, Jacques, continued the agricultural and wine modernizations, while collecting works by Monet and Degas. The estate, then model innovation, includes a school, a hospice, and an award-winning winery. In 1871, the Prussian occupation during the Franco-German war marked a tragic turning point for the Drake del Castillo family.

In 1927, the Franco-American industrialist Charles Bedaux acquired Candé and brought ultra-modern comfort for the period: central heating, Art Deco bathrooms, private telephone exchange, and a Skinner organ. The castle became part of the "Marriage of the Century" on June 3, 1937, between the former King Edward VIII, Duke of Windsor, and Wallis Simpson, celebrated in the library and the music salon. The event, covered by Vogue, attracts sixteen guests sorted on the shutter, including Winston Churchill, son Randolph.

During World War II, Candé was requisitioned by the American embassy in 1940 and placed under German receivership in 1942. The accidental explosion of the nearby Ripault powder plant in 1943 partially damaged the castle. When Charles Bedaux died in 1944, his wife Fern left the estate to the French state in 1951, on condition that he retained a cultural vocation. Since 1974, the departmental council of Indre-et-Loire has owned and gradually restored its original furniture, dispersed after 1972.

The castle, opened to the public since 2000, now houses exhibitions and events such as the Terres du Son festival. Its 260 hectare park, classified as a sensitive natural area, houses a conservation orchard of ancient fruit varieties and various biotopes. The interiors, remobilized thanks to the National Furniture, reflect the splendor of the 1930s, combining neogothic styles, Louis XII, and Art Deco. Candé also remains linked to popular culture, serving as a stage for filming such as Secrets d'Histoire (2016) or Lazy Company series (2015).

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