CASTLE OF USSÉ

It stands majestically overlooking the Indre river and its lush green landscape, and is a great place to take photos as soon as you arrive. The château is an atypical construction, dating from the ^15th to ^17th centuries. It was first a fortified castle with its ^15th-century keep, ancient drawbridge and military facade, then a Renaissance château with three main buildings - Gothic, Renaissance and Classical! Then came the transformation into a pleasure residence. In the ^17th century, Ussé took on the form we know today, with the construction of the pavilion and chapel, and the enhancement of the formal gardens designed by Le Nôtre and the terraces planned by Vauban. A residence in which Chateaubriand frequently stayed. The magnificent Lebanese cedar that stands proudly between the chapel and the château owes its name to him.
But it's to another literary figure that the château owes its worldwide renown. Legend has it that, while visiting Ussé, the writer Charles Perrault was inspired by the romanticism of the place, and wrote the tale of Sleeping Beauty. Rediscover the story of the young girl and her Prince Charming through life-size characters staged in various rooms of the château: from Aurora to the Carabosse fairy, not forgetting the fairies. A fun aspect of the visit that children will love!
From the Middle Ages to the present day, the castle has been owned by a succession of families, each making their own mark. Today, it's the Duc de Blacas and his family who have been welcoming you to their family home for over two centuries. An inhabited place, the château is particularly well preserved and richly furnished. Today, the residence houses precious works of art: signed furniture, paintings by masters, as well as a collection of ^17th-century tapestries, based on cartoons by Teniers, depicting rural scenes of popular life. Magnificently preserved traces of the past, such as the majestic Grand Escalier. Elegance and splendor culminate in the King's Chamber. From Louis XIV to Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia, the King's Chamber has seen many great personalities pass through its doors. In the cellars, a docu-drama explains how grapes were harvested and wine made. And don't miss the chapel with its lovely stained glass windows, or the stables with their collection of horse-drawn carriages and fine saddlery.
For young visitors, enter the legend with this extraordinary treasure hunt "Between Accounts and Fairy Tales"!

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