Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

Rivaulde Castle, located in Salbris in the Loir-et-Cher, has its origins in the sixteenth century, with a first mention attested in 1524 as a castle belonging to the family of the lords of La Ferté-Imbault. Turned into a manor house over the centuries, it was acquired in the 19th century by the painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, who, ruined, sold it in 1882 to the Schneider brothers, industrialists of the Creusot. The latter demolish the old fortress to build the current building, often nicknamed "the little Vaux-le-Vicomte" for its imposing dimensions and its fascist.

The reconstruction of the castle was entrusted to architect Paul-Ernest Sanson in 1898, with works dating from 1900 to 1905. Offered by Henri Schneider to his wife Eudoxie Asselin, the estate becomes a luxurious reception place, welcoming the aristocracy (Luynes, La Rochefoucauld) and the industrial bourgeoisie (Hennesy, Wendel). Hunting played a central role in social networks, and personalities such as the Prince of Wales stayed there in 1913. Henri Schneider died in 1898, leaving Eudoxie to manage the estate until his death in 1942.

In the 20th century, the castle changed hands several times: sold to the Michelin group in the 1950s, it was transformed into a holiday colony before being abandoned and then divided into condominiums in the 1960s. In 1985, a golf course was built on part of the estate, but the project failed in 1996, and the remaining lands were shared among the Schneider descendants, including Valéry Giscard d'Estaing's family. Since 2006, the castle has been partially classified as a Historic Monument, preserving its major facades, stables and architectural elements.

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