This is the tallest castle in France: seven floors, 204 rooms, an adultery and ... a ghost

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It is a full-blown castle. With its medieval towers, its drawbridge, its English garden, its

, its soaring ceilings with gold leaf and even its ghost. That of

specifically, daughter of Charles VII, who died in her own bedroom after being surprised with her lover by her husband,

son of a minister of the king himself. The fact is that the politician did not think twice and killed both (the male, above, was his close friend) with his sword moments after catching them

. It happened in the 16th century and they say that, since then, there has not been a stormy night in which the

dressed in white

does not appear

swarming around the facilities.

It is one of the legends that circulates around the Brissac castle, one of the more than 300 scattered throughout the

Gallic

, famous precisely for its palatial buildings.

But that of Brissac is not just any one (and we are not referring to the fact of having ghosts ...), but it is the highest not only in the valley, but in all of France.

It has a total of

distributed over

that, together, add up to 48 meters in height from the pit to the last top of the last tower.

One of the rooms where you can sleep in the castle.

For something they nickname it

since in total it occupies

.

Hence, it appears at the top of the ranking of tourist attractions in the area along with its bucolic

its wines (those sparkling rosés ...) and its boat trips on the wild river that gives the valley its name.

An adultery that made history

The specific location of the castle of Brissac is the

, within the Pays de la Loire region (or

for the Spanish market).

There, just 15 kilometers from the pleasant town of

, the Counts of Anjou settled in the 11th century, for which they ordered the construction of a medieval fortification, antecedent to the current castle.

Four centuries later, it was bought by Minister

father of the aforementioned Charlotte murderer, who received it as an inheritance.

After the adultery for which he ended up killing his wife, he decided to sell it to the

in 1502.

The current Dukes of Brissac with their children, owners and inhabitants of the castle.

Since then, the same saga has been owned, now in its

. He has always lived in it, except for some periods of absence motivated by the wars of religion between Catholics and Protestants and the

which caused great damage both outside and inside. Not surprisingly, once the latter was completed, the Count of Brissac on duty had to rebuild it almost completely, so that today the mammoth facade, so

for that of height, sports a curious medley of movements that goes from Baroque to Renaissance without forgetting the two

, the only thing that remains of its original architecture.

"It is a new castle partially built within an old castle partially destroyed," says one of the building guides as a motto.

Barracks in the French Revolution

The interior also responds to a copious amalgam of styles between period furniture brought from Versailles, labyrinthine corridors, marquetry,

, woven tapestries in which the story of

is told

kitchens to feed a regiment (from In fact, this is what happened in the French Revolution, when it became a barracks), works of art from the Elysee Palace and the Parisian Senate and current photos of

of the Brissac family.

One of the kitchens where receptions are now held.

You can even see the wedding dresses chosen by two of the heiresses along with their corresponding copies of the

French

on the wedding

day.

Things of living in a castle open without restrictions to the public.

Specifically, the current Dukes of Brissac

with their three children.

The building not only admits visitors, but it is also possible to sleep in some of the rooms from 300 euros a night in a double room, as aristocratic and ornate as the rest of the building.

The first French woman fined for driving

During the journey, one also learns that another of the family members, Anne de Mortemart, was the first woman in France to receive a fine for driving faster than she should, that is, 12 kilometers per hour. . It happened in August 1893. "They condemned her to pay between one and five francs, as this

says

," explains the guide, pointing to the report along with a

of the offender. It must be said, yes, she was also the first female to drive in the neighboring country. The lady had other hobbies such as horse riding and hunting. What's more, he was riding until he was 86 years old. It can be seen in the

surrounded by the pictures of, among others, 13 dukes and four marshals, all belonging to the Cossé-Brissac.

The Belle Époque-style theater offers one-off performances.

One of the rooms (and we said that there were 204) that attracts the most attention is that of

place where this king reconciled with his mother,

, in 1620 after a confrontation over dynastic problems.

The curiosities continue, since in this castle there is room even for a beautiful

where performances and festivals still take place today.

It was built by the soprano Jeanne Say, another of the descendants of the family that owns the property, to give her own recitals in private.

The route through the castle is not complete without visiting the

, the 19th century stables or the vaulted cellar where wine has been produced for 500 years.

Among them, the so-called

Neither should you miss, of course, the tasting as a final point.

|

Castle of Brissac

.

Rue Louis Moron, 49320, Brissac Loire Aubance (Loire Valley, France).

Admission: 10 euros (adults) and 4.50 (children from eight to 16 years old).

More information on the websites of the Tourist Offices of enpaysdelaloire.com and anjou-tourisme.com

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