Château de La Brède, La Brède, France

The Château de La Brède is a feudal castle in the commune of La Brède. The castle was built in the Gothic style starting in 1306, on the site of an earlier castle. It is surrounded by water-filled moats and an English garden, in the centre of a Bordelais vineyard. Despite modifications over the centuries, it has kept its character as a fortress.

The philosopher Montesquieu was born, lived and wrote the majority of his works here. Visitors may see his library (though the books have been transferred to the library in Bordeaux) and his bedroom, both preserved as they were in the 18th century.

At her death in 2004, the Countess of Chabannes, a descendant of Montesquieu and last owner of the château, bequeathed her belongings, including the castle, to the Foundation named after her.

The castle is open to visitors from Easter November.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Marston Jane Marston (10 months ago)
Disappointing that you have to take a guided tour and only in French although Englsh print out supplied. Nothing really exceptional inside to see. Best part was the cows and little calf and the moat. Too expensive.

Jenny Rainbow (2 years ago)
Lovely place to visit, the tour guide was very knowledgeable and engaging. The tour is short enough to be engaging but not too labourious.

Polina P (2 years ago)
Website *highly recommends* to prebook a guided tour but in fact nobody picks up the phone or answers numerous advance emails. Quite poorly coordinated effort. The grounds are nice and well manicured but nothing exceptional. Not sure it’s worth paying to stroll there without the chateau tour.

Norbert Elek (2 years ago)
Very nice and historical castle. I recommend to check if it's open before you visit it!

Ramprasad Mandal (2 years ago)
This castle is located in Gironde, France, is a castle dating from the early 14th century. Built on a small islet surrounded by water- filled moats, it was the birthplace and residence of the writer and philosopher "Montesquieu". It is a must visit place for everyone.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Göran Höglund (Kartläsarn)

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King Eric's grand daughter, Ingeborg Håkansdotter, inherited the area from her father, King Haakon V of Norway. She and her husband, Eric, Duke of Södermanland, established a semi-independent state out of their Norwegian, Swedish and Danish counties until the death of Erik. They spent considerable time at the fortress. Their son, King Magnus IV of Sweden (Magnus VII of Norway), spent much time at the fortress as well.

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It is currently used as a museum and bed and breakfast as well as private accommodation. The moat of the fortress is said to be inhabited by a small lake monster. In August 2006, a couple of witnesses claimed to have seen the monster emerge from the dark water and devour a duck. The creature is described as brown, hairless and with a 40 cm long tail.

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