Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Beauregard estate, located on the outskirts of Hérouville-Saint-Clair at the edge of the Caen Canal at sea, extends over 23 hectares of meadows and woods. It includes a troubadour style castle, typical of the Norman architecture of the 19th century, as well as a park and outbuildings. This place, formerly part of Colbert's fief, was transformed into a resort residence in the mid-19th century by the Havre shipowner Jules Lecesne, who entrusted his construction to Martial Pelfresne, completed in 1864.

During the Second World War, the estate suffered considerable damage. After the conflict, it was bought by the State and attributed to the ORTF, which organized summer holiday settlements there. In 1977, the commune of Hérouville-Saint-Clair became its owner, but the site remained scarcely used until the 1980s, with the exception of some events such as the "Festivals of the Rose". In 1988, an association was created to boost the place, which gradually became a cultural and sporting centre.

In 1999, a storm caused significant damage, including the fall of century-old trees. Since 2009, the park has hosted the Beauregard Festival, attracting international artists and 20,000 festivalgoers since its first edition. The estate also houses Ornavik, an archaeological reconstruction of a Viking village initiated in 2011 for the 1100th anniversary of Normandy, open to the public for a decade.

The park, composed of woods and meadows, houses animal sculptures such as Dog attacking a boar or Hunting Dog. The outbuildings include an annex, a sheepfold and a farm, reflecting the architectural and functional diversity of the estate.

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