Château de Montmarin, Pleurtuit, France

Château de Montmarin was built in 1760 by Aaron Magon, Squire of the Château du Bosq. It is the only 'Malouiniè' (the typical 18th century summer résidence of rich ship-owners and merchants from Saint-Malo) to be located on th left bank of the Rance, with a magnificent panoramic view across the estuary. An Imposing classic gateway opens on to the Court of Honor ornemented by a splendid 18th century fountain in white Carrare marble. The restrained classicism of the entrance side of the housse is in striking conytrast with the fanciful Louis XV elegance of the main façade facing the Rance with its pavilions rooped in the shape open upturned.

The 6 hestares park is praised by the writers of the period, Madame de Genlis, and Chateaubriand, slopes gently down to the Rance in a series of terraces. In front of the house, the French formal garden, pratically unchanged since the day it was designed, overlooks the park, laid out in 1885 in the English style, with its historic trees, wide lawns, thickets, rock-garden, ans flowering borders.Each year, new varieties of plants and trees are added to already considerable collection.

References:

Chateaux France

User Reviews

Arnaud Deniel (3 years ago)
Un cadre merveilleux pour un mariage inoubliable. Tout le monde a pu profiter du jardin à la française et de la superbe vue Rance pendant le cocktail, ainsi que des balades dans les jardins le lendemain et de la visite du potager avec Thibault. Un grand merci à lui et à sa famille pour leur accueil et leur disponibilité. Je recommande vivement.

carine martin (3 years ago)
Magnifique endroit, très beaux jardins avec une vue imprenable sur la Rance. Merci Thibault pour votre accueil chaleureux. Votre potager est superbe !

Mael Hamon (3 years ago)
Nous nous sommes mariés en août 2008 à cet endroit. Les jardins étaient superbes et les invités pouvaient librement circuler. En revanche, l'endroit pour le cocktail était situé où il n'y a que des graviers ce qui rendait difficile la circulation avec des talons hauts. De plus, alors que nous étions en plein cocktail, les propriétaires avaient décidé de dîner sur leur terrasse qui donnait sur la réception sans égard pour notre évènement. Il nous a également été demandé de manière très désagréable et inutilement brutal à minuit de baisser la musique sous peine d'arrêter la soirée…Compte tenu du prix de la salle….nous avons été un peu choqués par cette manière de faire ! La salle de réception mériterait (mais peut-être cela a-t-il été fait depuis) d'être arrangée sur le plan esthétique. Heureusement, nous avions eu, ce jour-là, un temps merveilleux.

Briz Phtgrphy (3 years ago)
The best garden I have visited, far behind Versailles. La Rance gives it all its charm and the owners are really nice and friendly. I like to come again and again and rediscover the place at any season. If you are in the area I definitely recommend to visit. A must see! Went to a couple of parties there like wedding, this is the perfect place and all organisation was always excellent : food, drinks, music, location. I also recommend this place to throw a party in ideal, classy and lovely surroundings.

Pablo Gomez-Borbon (8 years ago)
Excellent. The prettiest gardens!

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Historic Site of the week

Veste Coburg

The Veste Coburg is one of Germany's largest castles. The hill on which the fortress stands was inhabited from the Neolithic to the early Middle Ages according to the results of excavations. The first documentary mention of Coburg occurs in 1056, in a gift by Richeza of Lotharingia. Richeza gave her properties to Anno II, Archbishop of Cologne, to allow the creation of Saalfeld Abbey in 1071. In 1075, a chapel dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul is mentioned on the fortified Coberg. This document also refers to a Vogt named Gerhart, implying that the local possessions of the Saalfeld Benedictines were administered from the hill.

A document signed by Pope Honorius II in 1206 refers to a mons coburg, a hill settlement. In the 13th century, the hill overlooked the town of Trufalistat (Coburg's predecessor) and the important trade route from Nuremberg via Erfurt to Leipzig. A document dated from 1225 uses the term schloss (palace) for the first time. At the time, the town was controlled by the Dukes of Merania. They were followed in 1248 by the Counts of Henneberg who ruled Coburg until 1353, save for a period from 1292-1312, when the House of Ascania was in charge.

In 1353, Coburg fell to Friedrich, Markgraf von Meißen of the House of Wettin. His successor, Friedrich der Streitbare was awarded the status of Elector of Saxony in 1423. As a result of the Hussite Wars the fortifications of the Veste were expanded in 1430.

Early modern times through Thirty Years' War

In 1485, in the Partition of Leipzig, Veste Coburg fell to the Ernestine branch of the family. A year later, Elector Friedrich der Weise and Johann der Beständige took over the rule of Coburg. Johann used the Veste as a residence from 1499. In 1506/07, Lucas Cranach the Elder lived and worked in the Veste. From April to October 1530, during the Diet of Augsburg, Martin Luther sought protection at the Veste, as he was under an Imperial ban at the time. Whilst he stayed at the fortress, Luther continued with his work translating the Bible into German. In 1547, Johann Ernst moved the residence of the ducal family to a more convenient and fashionable location, Ehrenburg Palace in the town centre of Coburg. The Veste now only served as a fortification.

In the further splitting of the Ernestine line, Coburg became the seat of the Herzogtum von Sachsen-Coburg, the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg. The first duke was Johann Casimir (1564-1633), who modernized the fortifications. In 1632, the fortress was unsuccessfully besieged by Imperial and Bavarian forces commanded by Albrecht von Wallenstein for seven days during the Thirty Years' War. Its defence was commanded by Georg Christoph von Taupadel. On 17 March 1635, after a renewed siege of five months' duration, the Veste was handed over to the Imperials under Guillaume de Lamboy.

17th through 19th centuries

From 1638-72, Coburg and the Veste were part of the Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg. In 1672, they passed to the Dukes of Saxe-Gotha and in 1735 it was joined to the Duchy of Saxe-Saalfeld. Following the introduction of Primogeniture by Duke Franz Josias (1697-1764), Coburg went by way of Ernst Friedrich (1724-1800) to Franz (1750-1806), noted art collector, and to Duke Ernst III (1784-1844), who remodeled the castle.

In 1826, the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha was created and Ernst now styled himself 'Ernst I'. Military use of the Veste had ceased by 1700 and outer fortifications had been demolished in 1803-38. From 1838-60, Ernst had the run-down fortress converted into a Gothic revival residence. In 1860, use of the Zeughaus as a prison (since 1782) was discontinued. Through a successful policy of political marriages, the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha established links with several of the major European dynasties, including that of the United Kingdom.

20th century

The dynasty ended with the reign of Herzog Carl Eduard (1884-1954), also known as Charles Edward, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a grandson of Queen Victoria, who until 1919 also was the 2nd Duke of Albany in the United Kingdom. Under his rule, many changes made to the Veste in the 19th century were reversed under architect Bodo Ebhardt, with the aim of restoring a more authentic medieval look. Along with the other ruling princes of Germany, Carl Eduard was deposed in the revolution of 1918-1919. After Carl Eduard abdicated in late 1918, the Veste came into possession of the state of Bavaria, but the former duke was allowed to live there until his death. The works of art collected by the family were gifted to the Coburger Landesstiftung, a foundation, which today runs the museum.

In 1945, the Veste was seriously damaged by artillery fire in the final days of World War II. After 1946, renovation works were undertaken by the new owner, the Bayerische Verwaltung der staatlichen Schlösser, Gärten und Seen.

Today

The Veste is open to the public and today houses museums, including a collection art objects and paintings that belonged to the ducal family of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a large collection of arms and armor, significant examples of early modern coaches and sleighs, and important collections of prints, drawings and coins.

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