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Origin and history

Maulévrier Eastern Park is a 29-hectare Japanese garden, created between 1899 and 1913 by architect Alexandre Marcel, designer of the Cambodia Pavilion at the Universal Exhibition of 1900. It is inspired by the gardens of the Edo period, with Khmer elements reproduced from mussels of colonial exhibitions. The park, organized around an artificial lake fed by the Moine River, incorporates Asian plants (azaleas, Japanese maples) and traditional decorations such as red tori or stone lanterns.

The estate originally belonged to Édouard-François Colbert, brother of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, who built a castle there in the 17th century. Destroyed during the Vendée War, it was rebuilt in 1815 with a romantic park. In 1895, Eugène Bergère, son-in-law of a local industrialist, acquired the estate and entrusted Alexandre Marcel – his son-in-law – with the transformation of the park into an eastern garden. After Marcel's death in 1928, the park declined until its takeover by the commune in 1980.

Abandoned for 40 years, the park was restored from 1987 with old photographs. In 2004, he obtained the label "Remarkable Garden". Today, it hosts 150,000 annual visitors and offers animations such as the Chanami (fest of cherry blossoms) or bonsai exhibitions. An expansion project, inspired by the Murin-an garden in Kyoto, has been underway since 2021.

The park symbolizes the philosophy of the Japanese gardens of the Edo era, with a river representing the race of the sun (from east to west), an island symbolizing Shinto paradise, and trees evoking the seasons and stages of life. Hybrid elements, such as a Khmer temple replica or an 18th century sheepfold housing hydraulic pumps, testify to its mixed history.

Crossed by the Moine and bordered by a railway viaduct to the west, the park is located south of the village of Maulévrier. Its castle, still private, overlooks the valley where the gardens spread, classified for their Japanese inspiration despite their colonial influences. A permanent exhibition and events such as the Exceptional Days (land art, archery) animate the site.

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