Photo : W. Bulach / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Château de Brissac
The Château de Brissac, in Maine-et-Loire, is presented as the tallest castle in France, with up to seven levels and 204 rooms. It was built in the eleventh century by Fulk Nerra as a fortress, then in 1502 became the property of the Cossé-Brissac family, who still live there: the current owner is Charles-André de Cossé-Brissac, 14th Duke of Brissac.
The building mixes medieval, Renaissance and seventeenth-century Baroque styles. Two towers of the east façade are the remains of the fifteenth-century construction. Inside, the visit reveals gold-leaf ceilings, precious furniture and a theatre inaugurated in 1890, devoted to opera. In the park there is a mausoleum of the dukes, and great trees offer fine views of the castle.
During the Second World War, the castle housed works from great French museums and palaces, including Versailles and the Louvre, between 1939 and 1946. Today it hosts seasonal events such as a Christmas market or an Easter egg hunt, and is used as a filming location. Dates and visiting conditions should be checked on the official website.
