HOUSE CASTLE

Built in the first half of the ^17th century to designs by the famous architect François Mansart - a precursor of classical architecture - the château was built for René de Longueil, a high magistrate at the Paris Parliament and future Superintendent of Finance under Louis XIV, known as "le président de Maisons". The primary purpose of the estate and summer residence was to host the Sun King after his hunting expeditions. It is a masterpiece of architectural balance, whose majesty, symmetry, balanced forms and elegant roofs make it a model that prefigures French classical art and heralds the neighboring Château de Versailles. The château was surrounded by a vast 500-hectare park of perfect symmetry, also designed by Mansart but now lost. The estate remained the property of the de Longueil family until 1777, when it was acquired by the Comte d'Artois, brother of Louis XVI and future Charles X. The ^19th century saw a succession of owners, including Marshal Jean Lannes, a military officer close to Napoleon Bonaparte; banker Jacques Laffitte, who transformed the estate by destroying the stables; and Wilhelm Tilman Grommé, a Russian painter and art lover. In 1905, the State finally bought the building, which became an annex to the sculpture department of the Louvre Museum, before being classified as a historic monument in 1914.

It wasn't until 1980 that this architectural masterpiece of the Grand Siècle was opened to the public on a daily basis, under the auspices of the Centre des Monuments Nationaux (CMN). Inside, visitors can admire: the Grande Galerie; the King's apartment and its mirror cabinet - reminiscent of the famous Hall of Mirrors at the Château de Versailles -; the vestibule d'honneur, which opens onto the courtyard and garden like an Italian patio, and its grand staircase with sculpted decorations of putti or "Amours" by Philippe de Buyster; the apartment of the Comte d'Artois, owner of the Château de Maisons in 1877. You'll also discover furniture and paintings from the French and Italian schools of the ^17th, ^18th and ^19th centuries.

There are several ways to visit the château: self-guided tours (with or without free audioguides, available in 6 languages) of the château and grounds, lecture tours, guided tours of the grand apartments, and special tours of the smaller apartments. Finally, during the school vacations, workshops are organized for children to discover the monument in a fun way.