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Castles · EssonneWorth a visit
Château de Vilgénis
The first château on the Vilgénis estate dates from 1216; it was occupied by the lord Hugues de Villa Genis. In 1852 Prince Jérôme Bonaparte, the Emperor's brother, bought and enlarged the estate. He stayed here for nearly ten years, living in the present building, erected by M. Delorme in the early 1820s.
Today the whole estate belongs to Air France, which has made it a training centre for pilots. The Château de Vilgénis is in the commune of Massy, in the Hurepoix, fifteen kilometres south-west of Paris, in the Essonne.
