FR / EN
The Park and the Museums are open
to the public on Sundays, and during
holidays from 2PM to 6PM,
from March 15th till November 15th .
to the public on Sundays, and during
holidays from 2PM to 6PM,
from March 15th till November 15th .
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Le Château du Marais et son histoire
The Huraults’ castle, of which nothing remains but the moats and the dungeon once stood on the Marais. This is where Sully, Henri the IVth great minister, would throw magnificent receptions in honor of the latter.
At the end of the 18th century, in 1778, the Treasurer General of Artillery and Engineering, Jean le Maître, initiated the construction of the present castle, the most beautiful castle near Paris, by the one the best architect Barré . The proportion of the castle in relation to the ornamental pond, the mysterious Italian peristyle, the perfection with which mouldings and friezes were treated thanks to the greatest sculptors of the time, the elegant skill with which the 18th century castle is connected to the old château with a glass gallery bridge.
Similarly, Achille Duchêne, to whom we owe the restoration of most gardens attributed to André Le Nôtre and who, inspired by the plans of the old French garden, created the current one in 1910, ensured the proportional harmony in relation to the façades.
All this makes the Marais a masterpiece of intelligence as well as that of French art. The Duchess de Talleyrand bought it in 1899 from the Duchess de Noailles and began major restoration works , later continued by her daughter Violette de Talleyrand, wife of President of the French “Conseil Constitutionel” Gaston Palewski, former Principal Private Secretary to General de Gaulle, former Minister of State. It’s currently her children and grand children, who devote themselves to this task.
Many distinguished guests visited the Marais one after another: the fabulist Florian, Voltaire’s nephew; Mathieu Mole, future Prime Minister of Louis Philippe, who became the hostess’ son-in-law; Wellington when he was ambassador in Paris. The castle received other renowned visitors such as Chateaubriand and Pauline de Beaumont, Sainte-Beuve and Madame d'Arbouville and more recently Andre Malraux and Louise de Vilmorin.
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Le Château du Marais AND ITS ARCHITECTURE
The present castle was built at the Eastern end of the platform surrounded by water ditches that constituted the main courtyard of the old castle. The Northwest and Southwest angles of the platform consist of two small pavilions that stand on the site of those which were already supposed to surround this court.
The main building, double in its depth, has a rectangular-shaped construction. The play of the roofing and the light façade layers suggest the traditional volumes of the 18th century castle: the central three-bay projection and side projections with a single bay. The courtyard facing elevations, representing the most interesting part, include a centrally-based portico composed of four colossal order Doric columns, crowned with an attic which is surmounted by a pediment and a square dome, the design of which is taken from the Clock Pavilion at the Louvre. This arrangement is surprising for its size, even if its various components had been already represented in earlier buildings.
The columns of the façade overlooking the garden are replaced with pilaster strips of the Composite order and the square dome with a flattened pyramidal hipped roof, giving it a much more classical twist.
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Le Château du Marais AND THE PARK
The park, which was transformed into an English style park in the early 19th century, was redesigned by Achille Duchêne between 1903 and 1906 for Boniface de Castellane. The great body of water, an expansion of an old canal, is getting its water from the Rémarde (tributary of the Orge). To the East, Duchêne designed French flowerbeds on a platform surrounded by water moats.
Facing the castle, you will find a pool of water of over 500 meters long in which the West façade is reflected. The water pool framed by three hornbeam hedges is fed by a source and bordered to the North by the river "La Rémarde."
You can take a stroll around the lake and feel the timeless atmosphere of this environment.
The park and gardens constitute a wonderful green setting to the entire architectural ensemble. And under the shadow of the trees centuries old combined with the freshness of the moats, on the one hand, and the sunny alleys on the other, whatever the weather may be the visitor will always find a pleasant place to go.