Ainay le Vieil, castle, gardens and museum...

One of the 100 most beautiful places in the world!

Summer 2021... Time publishes its third annual list of the most beautiful places in the world, and Ainay le Vieil is listed! Let's take a closer look...

 

The castle, or the castles?

The castle is first and foremost a medieval fortress on the plain, with its Châtelet of defense having kept its two guardhouses, and including, leaning against the ramparts, a feudal dwelling with, in its center, the "great hall", the place where the lord exercised his power.
And you will also admire another dwelling, Renaissance, with its loggias and its sculpted decorations.

Inside, the historical richness of the place will appear to you with, among other things, a fireplace decorated for Anne of Brittany and Louis XII, which is said to be one of the most beautiful in the Loire Valley, which includes some superb ones!

 

The park, the gardens, the Chartreuses...

The water structures the park, which presents superb ornamental trees, and offers the castle an environment worthy of it.
You can also stroll through the rose garden, mainly dedicated to old roses.
And then, go from era to era by visiting the Chartreuses. The Chartreuses are rare architectural structures dedicated to plants, and are presented as a set of open-air rooms, located on a terrace overlooking the canals, and offering a succession of arcades allowing visitors to pass from one to the other. The high walls are designed to create microclimates!
These Chartreuses allow visitors to visit, on 4000 m², five gardens reflecting five eras. You will see the "jardin bouquetier", the "orchard sculpted", the "garden of meditation", the "cloister of the simple", and the "parterres de broderies" extraordinary example of French garden.

 

The Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions

This is a real tribute to traditional rural France on the eve of the 1914 war. At that time, Ainay-le-Vieil had about 500 inhabitants, farmers and craftsmen of all trades. By reconstituting rooms, the museum brings back to life their daily life, their objects, their furniture, their tools...

 

The cottages

There is so much to see in these places that one is tempted, of course, to spend at least one night there, and, thus, to be a part of it... Indeed, the lodgings are houses fitted out in the dependences of the castle, and you will have thus the choice between a neo-Gothic house of the nineteenth century, a body of farm of the seventeenth, a house of Master of the same period, and, since April 2022, an old barn. Unusual nights...
You can also choose to stay in the castle itself which offers five guest rooms. Having all your time at your disposal, and although it is already very busy with the castle, the gardens, or the chartreuses, you will then find a little moment to go and visit the arts and crafts store too!

 

Castle of Ainay-le-Vieil
7, rue du Château
18200 Ainay-le-Vieil
Phone : 09 71 46 01 83

 

https://chateau-ainaylevieil.fr/

 

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator

(free version)

 


To go further....

Le Berry d'Antan - Nouvelle édition

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Regroupant près de 400 cartes postales anciennes, Le Berry d'antan invite le lecteur à redécouvrir
la région berrichonne, il y a un peu plus d'un siècle.
L'ouvrage s'articule autour de huit parties thématiques : Les fruits de la terre ; Les industries ; Artisans, commerces et petits métiers ; Les grandes cités ; Transports et communication ; Villages et campagnes ; Croyances et coutumes ; Les fêtes et les loisirs.
L'ensemble de l'iconographie provient des plus belles collections privées de cartes postales anciennes réunies par la Société numismatique et cartophile du Berry.
Tourisme gourmand en Berry: Recettes de chefs, producteurs & patrimoine

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15 chefs des Tables Gourmandes du Berry vous présentent leurs recettes, leurs producteurs et leur patrimoine. Découvrez le Berry et ses richesses gastronomiques et culturelles grâce à des chefs amoureux de leur terroir. L'Indre et le Cher qui composent cette belle province regorgent de trésors propres à satisfaire tous les appétits : Des produits d'exception : lentilles vertes, escargots, poissons de la Brenne, fromages de chèvre... Des vins reconnus : Sancerre, Châteaumeillant, Reuilly, Quincy, Valençay, Menetou-Salon... Des lieux emblématiques : Maison de George Sand, cathédrale de Bourges, château de Palluau, clocher de Saint-Outrille, marais de Bourges, musée Saint-Roch à Issoudun...

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