The Château de Sourches is neoclassical château located in the commune of Saint-Symphorien, near Le Mans. The château was built between 1761 and 1786 for Louis II du Bouchet de Sourches, Marquis de Sourches, by the King's architect Gabriel de Lestrade with the help of the architect Jean-François Pradrel. It was inherited by Sourches' daughter-in-law, Louise-Élisabeth de Croÿ, Marquise de Tourzel (and future Duchess of Tourzel), Governess of the Children of France from July 1789, who took part in the flight to Varennes and was imprisoned at the Square du Temple with the royal family in August 1792 during the French Revolution. The château passed to the Pérusse des Cars family in 1845 who owned it until 1985.
In 2001, the château was bought by Hélène Martin and family, after which the château and the park were immediately reopened to the public. Major restoration work was undertaken with the help of the State, the Region and the Department. Many cultural and sporting events are organized there permanently, hunting festival, the first Sunday in July, agricultural shows, theater, cinema, concert, conferences.
References:Linderhof is the smallest of the three palaces built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria and the only one which he lived to see completed.
Ludwig II, who was crowned king in 1864, began his building activities in 1867-1868 by redesigning his rooms in the Munich Residenz and laying the foundation stone of Neuschwanstein Castle. In 1868 he was already making his first plans for Linderhof. However, neither the palace modelled on Versailles that was to be sited on the floor of the valley nor the large Byzantine palace envisaged by Ludwig II were ever built.
Instead, the new building developed around the forester's house belonging to his father Maximilian II, which was located in the open space in front of the present palace and was used by the king when crown prince on hunting expeditions with his father.