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Origin and history

The Château de la Martinière is an 18th-century building located in Bièvres, in the present-day department of Essonne, in the Île-de-France region. Built between 1740 and 1765 under the influence of the vicinity of the Palace of Versailles, it reflects the classical architecture of the period, with a main body in grinder and limestone, originally completed by two symmetrical wings. His first owner, Germain Pichault de La Martinière, was a surgeon and state councillor during the reigns of Louis XV and Louis XVI, which underlines his importance in the local and political landscape of the Ancien Régime.

Acquired in 1810 by the Dollfus family, the castle underwent major modifications in the 19th century: destruction of the west wing, transformation of the facades and communes around 1890. During the Second World War, he was requisitioned by the Germans, then returned to the Seine-et-Oise department after the Liberation. Joined the historical monuments in 1963, it is used by the Paris City Hall for seminars before being sold in 2018 to the Departmental Council of Essonne. Its park, loti between 1985 and 1990, financed its restoration.

Architecturally, the castle is distinguished by its long-paned dardian roof, its central pediment and its redesigned facades. Although the west wing has disappeared, the main body and the east wing remain, testifying to the transformations experienced over the centuries. Today owned by the Essonne department, it embodies both the aristocratic heritage of the eighteenth century and the subsequent adaptations related to its public and administrative use.

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