Photo : Eric Pouhier / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Château de Maintenon
The Château de Maintenon, in the Eure valley in the Eure-et-Loir, offers through the variety of its architecture a panorama of the evolution of seigneurial housing from the Middle Ages to the early modern era. It is closely linked to Françoise d'Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon, wife of Louis XIV, who made it her residence.
The tour takes in some twenty furnished rooms, from the Sun King's bedroom to the dining room decorated with Cordoba leather. Much of the château can be visited and its décor remains in place.
Outside, the French formal gardens are attributed to André Le Nôtre, the king's gardener. There is also a view of Vauban's unfinished aqueduct, built to bring water to the gardens of Versailles, spanning the Eure valley. The site holds temporary exhibitions on the history of Madame de Maintenon.
