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Origin and history

The Domaine de Meudon, originally a medieval mansion, was transformed into a Renaissance castle by the cardinal of Lorraine in the 16th century. He became a royal residence under Louis XIV, who stayed there regularly. The castle was embellished by Louvois, then by Monsignor the Dauphin, who built the Château Neuf there and built sumptuous gardens by André Le Nôtre. These gardens, organized in terraces and gardens, offer exceptional views of Paris and the Seine.

In the 18th century, the estate was a resort for the royal family, including Louis XV and Marie-Antoinette. After the Revolution, the Château-Vieux was destroyed, while the Château-Neuf, burned in 1871, was partially preserved to house an astronomical observatory. Today, the estate is divided between a public part (large terrace, orangery) and a part reserved for the Paris Observatory.

The Château-Vieux, built in the 16th century by Antoine Sanguin and enlarged by Anne de Pisseleu, was profoundly redesigned by Louvois and Monseigneur. The latter built luxurious apartments and a chapel, while the gardens, inspired by those of Versailles, were enriched with basins, waterfalls and groves. The Meudon Cave, a Renaissance masterpiece, was destroyed to give way to the Neuf Castle.

The Château-Neuf, built between 1706 and 1709 by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, was intended to house the courtiers. It housed sumptuous apartments decorated with woodwork, mirrors and paintings. Fired in 1871 during the Franco-Prussian war, it was partially demolished to give way to the Observatoire de Paris, installed in 1875 by Jules Janssen.

The gardens of Meudon, designed by Le Nôtre, extended on terraces and slopes, with gardens, basins and monumental perspectives. The Great Perspective, the central axis of the estate, linked the castle to the Chalais pond. The high gardens, now occupied by the Observatory, were accessible by stairs and shaded alleys.

In the 19th century, the domain was used for scientific and military experiments, notably by Choderlos de Laclos and Nicolas-Jacques Conté. Napoleon I installed the king of Rome there in 1811. After the fire of 1871, the ruins of the Neuf Castle were adapted for astronomy, while the large restored terrace and orangery remained accessible to the public.

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