Château de Talcy is a historic palace in Talcy, north of the Loire River. Originating as a 13th-century fortification, it was expanded in the 16th and 17th centuries and modernized in the 18th. Listed as a Historical Monument in 1906, it has been state-owned since 1933 and is open to visitors.
First mentioned in 1221, Talcy was owned by the Simon family before being sold in 1517 to Florentine banker Bernard Salviati, who fortified it. His daughter Cassandre inspired poet Pierre de Ronsard, while his granddaughter Diane was the muse of Agrippa d'Aubigné.
The château hosted Catherine de' Medici and Charles IX in 1572, where they allegedly planned the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre. It changed hands several times before the Burgeat family modernized it in the 18th century. The Gastebois, Vincens, and Stapfer families, known for their egalitarian beliefs, preserved it during the French Revolution. In 1933, Valentine Stapfer sold it to the state.
The château retains a medieval feel, with a fortified central tower (1480) and Renaissance wings (1520s). A fire in 1723 destroyed the west wing, and the interiors were remodeled in the 1780s. Features include a 19th-century well, dovecote, and a Protestant chapel.
Now a museum, the château welcomes 20,000 visitors annually.
Ogrodzieniec Castle is a ruined medieval castle originally built in the 14th–15th century by the W³odkowie Sulimczycy family. Established in the early 12th century, during the reign of Boles³aw III Wrymouth, the first stronghold was razed by the Tatars in 1241. In the mid-14th century a new gothic castle was built here to accommodate the Sulimczycy family. Surrounded by three high rocks, the castle was well integrated into the area. The defensive walls were built to close the circuit formed by the rocks, and a narrow opening between two of the rocks served as an entrance.
In 1470 the castle and lands were bought by the wealthy Cracovian townsmen, Ibram and Piotr Salomon. Then, Ogrodzieniec became the property of Jan Feliks Rzeszowski, the rector of Przemy¶l and the canon of Cracow. The owners of the castle about that time were also Jan and Andrzej Rzeszowskis, and later Pilecki and Che³miñski families. In 1523 the castle was bought by Jan Boner.