Les Réaux castle
Les Réaux castle is located near the north bank of the Loire in the Indre-et-Loire department in the Center region in France, four kilometers from the village of Bourgueil . It was probably built for Jean Briçonnet, heir to the estate around 1515. The name Les Réaux goes back to the French writer Gédéon Tallemant des Réaux , who bought the castle in 1651.
Of the original structure, only the gatehouse flanked by two round towers and the donjon remain . Together with the towers, hip roofs and large windows make up the architectural charm. The brickwork with its attractive, red and white checkerboard pattern made of brick and quarry stone , which is loosened up by graceful sculptural elements, is particularly worth seeing . For example, the salamander motif, one of the symbols of the Loire Valley, appears above the entrance door. Two wings that adjoin the gatehouse date from the 18th century and from 1897. The latter is in the style of the 16th century.
The current use of Les Réaux Castle remains hidden from the visitor, as he usually stands in front of a locked gate.
literature
- Jean-Marie Pérouse de Montclos, Robert Polidori : Castles in the Loire Valley . Könemann, Cologne 1997, ISBN 3-89508-597-9 , p. 300 .
Web links
Coordinates: 47 ° 14 ′ 52 " N , 0 ° 8 ′ 53" E