Located in the CherThe Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil, a listed historical monument, is a superb family home passed down from generation to generation since 1467Here, the medieval castle, landscaped park and gardens listed as a Historical Monument and labeled " Remarkable garden ».
Ainay-le-Vieil is a 13th century fortified castle who has retained a intact defense system The gatehouse, towers, ramparts, sentry walk, two guardhouses and the moat. The courtyard and its two 13th and late 15th century residences take us on a journey through the centuries.
The castle, purchased by the Lords of Bigny in 1467, is still inhabited by their descendantsHere, you'll discover the memories and traces of illustrious figures such as Louis XII and Anne of Brittany, Colbert, Marie Antoinette, and Napoleon. These are just some of the testimonies to French history that can be explored during guided tours through superb and majestic salons.
Ainay-le-Vieil also has... Renaissance water gardens and a superb landscaped park with centuries-old treesThe visit to the exteriors guides the visitor on an initiatory walk into the art of gardens: the rose garden with its old varieties, the two 17th-century pavilions, the Carré en l'Île with its structure of hornbeams trimmed into a palisade and its topiary, the Chartreuses having in each of the five enclosures a garden with a different theme.
The most distinctive feature of this unique place is theomnipresence of waterDefensive when it surrounds the castle, it becomes a pleasure when it runs around the gardens thanks to a clever network of canals and becomes useful when it supplies the mill and the wash house by a clever system of shovels and weirs.
Finally, the Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil also houses a Museum of Folk Arts and Traditions. A permanent exhibition is presented to the public and reproduces the daily life of the village of Ainay-le-Vieil before the war of 1914. There you can discover the rural world, its customs, its daily life and the wealth of trades that existed at the time.
- Continue your exploration of the Loire Valley with the circuit On the road to the castles and other gems of Berry dans lequel s’inscrit le château d’Ainay-le-Vieil.
