Château de la Bourdaisière
Now a 5-star Hotel, a long history.
The Château de la Bourdaisière is a 19th-century county house in the Commune of Montlouis-sur-Loire, in the Indre-et-Loire département of France.
The site of the present house dates back to the 14th century when it was a fortress belonging to Jean Meingre. Over the next few generations, the property changed hands several times, until 1520 when King Francis I arranged for construction of a new castle on the site. Built for his mistress, Marie Gaudin, the wife of Philibert Babou, Superintendent of Finances for France, after her death, the property would remain in the family's hands.
Marie Gaudin's granddaughter, Gabrielle d'Estrées, was born in the château and would herself grow up to become mistress to another king, Henry IV of France.
In 1775, the château was partially destroyed by order of King Louis XV's most powerful Minister, Étienne François, Duc de Choiseul. Étienne François wanted to use the stones from Château de la Bourdaisière for the construction of his Pagoda at his estate in Chanteloup, near Amboise.
Lying in ruins, in 1786 the land was sold to Louise Adélaïde of Penthièvre Bourbon. In 1802 the property was acquired by Baron Joseph Angelier who undertook a massive reconstruction of Château Bourdaisière. The interior work would be completed by his son, Gustave Angelier. Although a small château, when compared to the great châteaux of the Kings and some of those built by other wealthy nobles, it is a magnificent Renaissance construction fronted by traditional French gardens.
The Castle was sold in 1923 to a wealthy American, Mrs. de Mérinville who sold it in 1938. During World War II, the château was occupied by the Nazis. After the war, a lack of funds by its owner saw it become severely run down. In 1959, its contents were auctioned off and government turned the château into a home for the elderly.
It was sold again in 1988 to an attorney, François Michaud, who owned it until 1991 when it was acquired by its current owners, the Princes of Broglie who undertook significant improvements and modernization. In 2003, Château de la Bourdaisière gained considerable attention in North America, as the primary site for the television show Joe Millionaire. In 2011, the chateaus gardens were finalist for the European Garden Award bestowed by the European Garden Heritage Network[1]
The château was listed as a monument historique in 1947.
ARISTOCRATIC LOIRE GARDENERS FRANCE - IN HD - ROBIN NOWACKI'S TRAVELS
ARISTOCRATIC LOIRE GARDENERS FRANCE - WORDS & IMAGES BY ROBIN NOWACKI.......In the centuries before the French Revolution the Loire Valley was where the aristocracy of the day built their châteaux and laid out fabulous ornate gardens - competing with each other in how fine and grand they could possibly make them.
They chose the wide river water and gentle forested rolling hills setting of the Loire Valley, party due to its outstanding natural beauty and mild micro-climate, but also as it was just a couple of days coach ride from Paris, making it easy to escape from the French capital to the sanctuary of their country retreats.
Here French Princess, Dukes, and Counts, lived opulent, indulgent, and in certain cases debauched lives, surrounded and assisted by armies of servants, that is until most of them were famously dispatched by guillotine during the Revolution of the late 18th century.
Today their legacy of majestic châteaux surrounded by beautiful gardens are lovingly maintained and added to by an extraordinary group of dedicated people with a passion for their gardens and the châteaux there in. The sheer scale of the task in hand dictates this can be no causal hobby.....................
I met Patricia Laigneau, who along with her husband Eric, has dedicated the last 20 years to the restoration of the visually stunning white stoned Château du Rivau, a fairly-tale 13th century castle-palace once visited by Joan of Arc in 1429.
“Why did we engage ourselves in such an adventure? How have we managed to keep the same enthusiasm after 20 years of restoration? I think my husband Eric wanted to achieve a “masterpiece” in his own field as his job is to restore old and heritage buildings in the towns of France”, Patricia told me as we toured the fabulous themed gardens and her fascinating château home.
“Art is also very important to me, I studied Art History before studying landscape design later in my life”, Patricia continued, “my passion for gardens has its roots in my childhood, when I had the good fortune to spend my vacations on a beautiful estate with a large garden”.
In season there are sensational displays of roses, one of Patricia’s loves, at Château du Rivau, but in her gardens also produce magnificent specimens of vegetables, squashes, and pumpkins – fit for a Cinderella!
(Château du Rivau, Le Coudray 37120 Lémeré. Open until November. From April to September regional food is available at the restaurant. Email: info@chateaudurivau.com).
At the Château de Valmer, the owner, Countess Alix de St. Venant, who has a passion for kitchen gardens and is well known in France and beyond for her expertise in heirloom vegetables, showed me around her two-and-a-half acre terraced Renaissance formal garden dating from the 16th and 17th centuries.
Sadly the main Château building built burnt down one night shortly after the Second World War, however this loss is made up for by the exquisite gardens and their location.
The Château also produces some fine and famous wines nurtured and perfected by the Countess’s son, which can be sampled at the café open onto the gardens.
(chateaudevalmer.com).
At the magnificent Château de la Bourdaisière, I met the owner, Prince Louis Albert de Broglie, known in France as the Gardener Prince, amidst the extensive gardens in the grounds of Château, where his passion for gardening is reflected in the growing and nurturing of all manner of plant life, especially tomatoes of which there are over 630 varieties.
In fact Prince Louis Albert, is such an expert on tomatoes, that he has recently published a book on the subject.
The Château de la Bourdaisière, which dates back to the 14th century, had by the late 20th century, under previous owners, fallen into a bad state of repair.
In 1991 it was acquired by Prince Louis Albert and his brother Prince Philippe Maurice, their plan was to restore the Château to its former glory and turn it into a hotel.
At the start Prince Louis had only ever intended a financial involvement in this project, but that began to change when he became involved in the restoration of the 140 acres of gardens and grounds surrounding the Château.
Restored to its former glory the Château is now open as a wonderful, atmospheric, and unique hotel with grand bedrooms named after famous historical figures, including the Henry IV, believed to be the actual room where the King was born!
The hotel is closed during the winter months.
Château de la Bourdaisière, 37270 Montlouis sur Loire. labourdaisiere.com. contact@chateaulabourdaisiere.com
Centre Val de Loire : le château et le potager de la Bourdaisière
Surmontant la vallée du Cher, la propriété du Prince jardinier (Louis Albert de Broglie) présente un parc paysager et un potager conservatoire de la tomate avec près de 630 variétés. A découvrir également un château néo-Renaissance et une terrasse à l'italienne, ainsi que le Dahlia Color dessiné par Louis Benech.
FRENCH PRINCE OF TOMATOES - Prince Louis Albert de Broglie - LOIRE VALLEY FRANCE - ROBIN NOWACKI
THE PRINCE WITH A PASSION FOR TOMATOES BY ROBIN NOWACKI WITH IMAGES..... The British love eccentrics and if they happen also to be aristocratic then that makes them even more interesting.
P.G. Wodehouse, the writer who created the famous fictional characters of Jeeves and Wooster, also wrote another series of humorous stories contained in a book entitled “Blandings Castle”, where one of the main characters is a Lord Emsworth, who has a passion for an enormous black pig on his estate which he calls the “Empress of Blandings”.
Eccentricity however is not confined just to the UK, in France’s Loire Valley I discovered a real-life Prince with a passion for tomatoes, growing no fewer than 635 different varieties in the beautiful gardens which surrounds the magnificent Château de la Bourdaisière, which dates back to the 14th century.
His name is Prince Louis Albert de Broglie, however throughout France he is also known as Le Prince Jardinier – The Gardener Prince.
I first met Prince Louis appropriately amidst the exquisite gardens of the Château de la Bourdaisière, which he jointly owns with his brother, Prince Philippe.
Here the Prince’s love for gardening is reflected in the growing and nurturing of all manner of plant life, including those 635 varieties of tomato.
The warm welcome by the Prince included my first taste of produce from the rich fertile soils of the Loire Valley – a glass of fine fruity white wine from the Château’s own vineyard was thrust in my hand.
Then followed a glass of the freshest juice from tomatoes I am ever likely to experience – they had just been hand-picked from vines in the garden by the Prince himself, and then blended in a kitchen and dining area open directly onto the garden.
So how did Prince Louis, also a successful banker in Paris for over 25 years, become to be known in France as Le Prince Jardinier, and develop such a passion for the tomato?
That evening whilst enjoying a series of delicious organic dishes in the splendid setting of the Château’s grand dining room, with the Prince Louis’ charming wife, Francoise, sitting to my left, the story was revealed.
The Château de la Bourdaisière had by the late 20th century under previous owners, fallen into a bad state of repair.
In 1991 Prince Louis and his brother, Prince Philippe Maurice, looking for an investment, purchased the property. Their plan was to restore the Château to its former glory and then turn it into a grand hotel.
At the start Prince Louis had only ever intended a banker’s financial involvement in this project, but that began to change when he became involved in the restoration of the 140 acres of gardens and grounds surrounding the Château. Gradually he found himself developing a deep interest in all aspects of gardening.
Then on a visit to India he discovered tomatoes quite different to those sold in French supermarkets: “At home they were all identical - red and shiny, whilst in India they were different shapes, shades of colour, and sizes, and they tasted wonderful - like the tomatoes I knew when I was a boy. So when I came home I started planting tomatoes”, Prince Louis told me.
As Prince Louis discovered new varieties of tomatoes from around the globe, he planted them at the Château de la Bourdaisière. By 1998 his collection numbered over 600, and this lead him create here at the Château, the Conservatoire de la Tomate, which would be both dedicated to the aims of promoting biodiversity, and be a place where growers and scientists could meet and exchange ideas.
“We need to preserve our traditions”, Prince Louis continued, “for our children and grandchildren.
“After a long period of being desensitized to what they are eating, people are becoming more conscious, demanding changes, and asking questions about what they eat” he concluded.
Prince Louis has recently published a finely illustrated and encyclopaedic book dedicated solely to the tomato.
Each September at the Château de la Bourdaisière the Conservatoire de la Tomate, hosts the Festival de la Tomate, attracting many thousands of people to a weekend long celebration of good organic food, wine, and of course tomatoes of every shape, size and colour.
Away from the world of tomatoes, Prince Louis Albert and his brother Prince Philippe Maurice, did fully restore the Château to its former glory and it is now open as a wonderful, atmospheric, and unique hotel, with grand bedrooms named after famous historical figures, including the Henry IV, believed to be the actual room where King Henry IV was born!
The hotel is closed during the winter months.
Château de la Bourdaisière,
37270 Montlouis sur Loire
Tel 0033 247 45 16 31
labourdaisiere.com
contact@chateaulabourdaisiere.com