Originally owned by Amaury Péau in the 14th century, Château des Réaux fell completely into ruins in the 16th century. It was then bought by Jean Briçonnet, first mayor of Tours, who saw his grandson erect the current Renaissance-style castle.
Listed as a Historic Monument, the Château des Réaux now houses an art gallery with a permanent exhibition rich in paintings dedicated to human legs. Nearly 800 paintings by 530 painters from more than 40 countries around the world are visible. The rest of the castle is also accessible to individual or group visits.
The Château des Réaux has a very beautiful French garden with canals, moats, sundial and other sculptures. It is also possible to spend the night there thanks to the rental of rooms with varied decorations. A heated swimming pool is also offered.
References:The Pilgrimage Church of Wies (Wieskirche) is an oval rococo church, designed in the late 1740s by Dominikus Zimmermann. It is located in the foothills of the Alps in the municipality of Steingaden.
The sanctuary of Wies is a pilgrimage church extraordinarily well-preserved in the beautiful setting of an Alpine valley, and is a perfect masterpiece of Rococo art and creative genius, as well as an exceptional testimony to a civilization that has disappeared.
The hamlet of Wies, in 1738, is said to have been the setting of a miracle in which tears were seen on a simple wooden figure of Christ mounted on a column that was no longer venerated by the Premonstratensian monks of the Abbey. A wooden chapel constructed in the fields housed the miraculous statue for some time. However, pilgrims from Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and even Italy became so numerous that the Abbot of the Premonstratensians of Steingaden decided to construct a splendid sanctuary.