Château de Brézé

Château de Brézé

Built between the 11th and 19th centuries, Château de Brézé offers visitors the chance to explore an elegant residence still lived in and an extraordinary underground site. Hidden beneath the castle lies one of the lesser-known wonders of the Loire Valley castles — a unique rock-cut architectural complex found nowhere else in the world.

The Château de Brézé is the property of the Colbert family and is classified as a French Historical Monument. It has been open to the public since 2000. The castle preserves the apartment of Marquis Pierre de Dreux-Brézé of Moulins, from the 19th century, which is one of the most beautiful and rare examples of Neo-Gothic and Neo-Renaissance interior architecture still in existence. In addition to displaying collections of weapons and armor, the castle also houses 15 medieval-style chairs bearing the coat of arms of the Dreux-Brézé family. The Marquise’s kitchen retains her precious collection of copper kitchenware, where she cooked until her death in 1991.

The underground world here is open to exploration and reads like a true history book carved into limestone. Visitors can see the fortified residence of former lords, carved patrol corridors, cave drawbridges, lord’s storerooms, underground wine presses, kitchens and bakeries, ice cellars, and other excavated passageways. This subterranean realm leads to the deepest dry moat in Europe, reaching a depth of 18 meters.

Château de Brézé

Must-see reason: The world’s only rock-cut architectural complex

Continent: Europe【Europe】

Country/Region: France[France]

Department/Region: Pays de la Loire Region [Pays de la Loire Region]