Le Château du Lude, located at the crossroads of Anjou and Touraine, is a family home and one of the most impressive castles in the Loire Valley.
As it stands, with its 4 façades, each of a different style, Le Lude is a living testament to the evolution of French architecture, from the Middle Ages to the 19th Century.
From the 10th to the 15th Century, the stronghold was slowly transformed into an enormous stone fortress defending the banks of the Loir river and the border of the Anjou Kingdom.
The chamberlain to King Louis XI, Jehan de Daillon and his descendants transformed the fortress into a stately Renaissance palace. Le Lude is almost the only chateau in France to have preserved this decoration, emblematic of the Italian Renaissance.
This immense stately residence would welcome both Henry IV and Louis XIII, before the Daillon family line was extinguished in 1685. The property was sold in 1751 to a member of the French East India Company, Joseph Duvelaër. This Dutch ship-owner from St Malo modernized the chateau and after him, his niece the Marchioness de la Vieuville. On the eve of the French Revolution, she had built the central wing, looking out over the Loir. The façade is a pure example of the neo-classicism of the 18th Century.
Descendants of the Marchioness, the Talhouët family made architectural renovations in the 19th Century, particularly on the north façade, which uses a “troubadour” style.
Today Le Lude belongs to their descendants, the Nicolay family, who, in their turn, endeavour to continue to restore and protect the vestiges of the past, such as the underground passages, the chapel, the stables, the kitchens and gardens.
The house is surrounded by historic gardens including botanical collections, mazes, kitchen garden and a rosegarden.
The house is open to the public seven month a year, showing on five floors the château life « à la française ». Many events are organized on the estate, like escape games, a Garden festival, cooking days and exhibitions.
