Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Savigny-lès-Beaune is a castle built around 1340 by Jean de Frolois, Marshal of the Duchy of Burgundy, for Duke Eudes IV of Burgundy. This medieval monument, characteristic of 14th century defensive architecture, was surrounded by ditches and flanked by round towers. It was partially destroyed in 1478 by order of Louis XI, after its owner had supported Marie de Bourgogne and Maximilian I against the king during the war of succession of Burgundy. Only the crows of the mâchicoulis, visible on two towers, survived after this dismantling.

At the beginning of the seventeenth century, the castle became the property of the Bouhier family. Étienne Bouhier, then his son Jean Bouhier de Savigny, undertook major restoration and beautification work. Jean Bouhier had the Petit Château built in 1671 and installed a large staircase inspired by the Château de Maisons-Laffitte, designed by Mansart. In 1689, the property passed to the Migieu family, then by covenant to the general count of La Loyère. The castle served briefly as a forced residence in 1719 at the Duchess of Maine, exiled in Burgundy.

In the 20th century, the castle was acquired in 1979 by Michel Pont, a winemaker and collector passionate about mechanics. He installed several museums with unique collections: fighter aircraft (record Guinness in 2018), Abarth cars, old motorcycles, and wine tools. Ranked a historic monument since 1940, the site today attracts about 30,000 visitors annually, combining architectural heritage, wine history and mechanical museum.

Architecturally, the castle adopts a U-shaped plan with four round towers at corners, covered with pepper roofs. The facades, made of stone bellows, are pierced with rectangular bays, doculi and triangular pediments. The Petit Château, with its convex plan, is distinguished by its rumped roofs and oval or archer bays. The ensemble, surrounded by a park crossed by the Rhin, illustrates the evolution of the site from the Middle Ages to the modern era.

The estate is also linked to Burgundy wine history: Jules Guyot, a wine specialist and author of reference books, died there in 1872. The Count of La Loyère, president of the Committee Viticulture de la Côte-d Today, the castle remains a living testimony to the alliance between historical heritage, wine culture and mechanical passion.

Future

In 1979 the castle was purchased by Michel Pont, a former Abarth motor rally driver from the 1960s, and a major mechanical collector, he founded several museums with a variety of important mechanical collections, visited by about 30,000 visitors each year.

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