Description of the attraction
The Château Brissac is located in the French department of Maine-et-Loire, 15 kilometers from the city of Angers. The castle was built in the XI century by Fulk the Black, Count of Anjou.
In the XIII century, after the victory over the British, the castle passed to the King of France Philip II Augustus, who handed it over to his seneschal, Guillaume de Roche. In 1435, the castle of Brissac passed to Pierre de Brese, the wealthy minister of King Charles VII, in 1455 the reconstruction of the castle was completed. The next owner of the castle - Pierre's son, Jacques de Brese - is known for stabbing his unfaithful wife here - the illegitimate daughter of the king by Agnes Sorel, Charlotte Valois. It happened on March 1, 1462, and legend says that to this day, on rainy nights, the spirit of this woman appears in the castle in the form of a lady in white.
In 1502, the castle of Brissac was acquired by René de Cossé, who was appointed by King Francis I as his governor in the provinces of Maine and Anjou. René's descendant, Charles de Cossé, took the side of the Catholic League during the Huguenot wars in France, and therefore his castle was besieged by the troops of King Henry IV. But in 1594 Charles deserted to the side of the king, was appointed Marshal of France, and in 1606 the castle of Brissac was returned to him, which, however, was subjected to significant destruction. In 1611 Charles received the title of Duke de Brissac.
The restoration of the Brissac castle was carried out by the architect Charles Corbino. After restoration work, the castle became the tallest castle in France, consisting of eight floors and 200 rooms. The facade of the castle is made in the Baroque style of the 17th century.
In August 1620, the castle of Brissac served as a "neutral territory" for the meeting of the warring queen mother Maria de Medici and King Louis XIII. They concluded a truce, which was marked by three-day festivals, but the peace did not last long, and soon Maria de Medici was again sent into exile.
The Dukes de Brissac owned their castle until the start of the French Revolution. In 1792, the troops of revolutionaries were located in the castle, who later plundered it. The castle lay in ruins until 1844, when the surviving heirs of the de Brissac family returned the castle to their ownership and began restoration work.
In 1890, a theater was founded in the castle, which was ruled by the granddaughter of the wealthy French economist Say. It was renovated in 1983 and now hosts an annual festival.
In the XX century, the owners of the castle proposed to equip a museum here, and in 1939-1940 the first exhibits appeared in the castle. Furniture was brought from Versailles, paintings and decorative art from various museums, including the Elysee Palace. The treasury of the Angers Cathedral was also moved to the Brissac castle. Various figures of culture and art of France, including André Lot, Paul Valéry and others, also took part in the creation of the museum.
In 1944, the castle was attacked by five German soldiers who killed the local gardener. The previous owner of the castle, Duke Simon de Brissac, wrote about this in his memoirs.
Now the castle still belongs to the Dukes de Brissac. The castle hosts annual Christmas markets, Easter "hunts" for chocolate eggs, flower festivals and hot air balloon competitions.
