La Bussière Château

The Château de Bussiere is located 18 kilometres from the L'Echappée Belle B&B in the commune of the same name. It is known as the Fisherman's Château because of the passion for freshwater fishing of one of its owners.

Very elegant, it seems to stand on the waters of a vast pond. Its 60 hectare park allows you to enjoy the surrounding nature and its 18th century vegetable garden is classified as a "remarkable garden". It is a private château but has been open to the public since 1962. Visiting the château means contributing to the conservation of this beautiful property, but it is also a journey back in time.

The square ashlar tower and the fortified enclosure date from the feudal period. The brick buildings date from the 17th and 18th centuries. The pond was dug in the 17th century and the vegetable garden was laid out in the 18th century. So, from a defensive château (located on the Paris-Lyon axis, which was very strategic at the time because it led to Italy), to an estate whose aesthetics were improved under the du Tillet family. In its heyday, it was 35,000 hectares of land! Enough to fill the three floors of the beautiful barn, located in the main courtyard near the stables.

In the basement is the large 17th century vaulted kitchen.

The château also houses a collection of objects related to freshwater fishing, hence its nickname of the Fishermen's Château. This collection was the passion of one of its owners, and as you can see from the photo, this is also reflected in the decoration of the ceilings!

In the basement there is a rare specimen of a coelacanth, a fish that has existed since prehistoric times.

La Bussière Château and its collection about freshwater fishing

But what makes this château special is its 18th century kitchen garden.

Larger than the one at Villandry, it is home to ancient vegetables such as turnips, cabbages, chard... but also fruit trees such as pear and apple trees, small red fruits, vines... carefully selected and cultivated. Small slates indicate their variety. Of course, a vegetable garden also means flowers, and there are plenty of them, as well as roses. This is the Rose Route! André Eve, a famous rose grower, even created a rose bush and named it "Château de la Bussière".

Finally, the large park and pond invite you to take a walk in the shade of the century-old trees. And why not have a picnic in this magnificent setting?

Do you know...?

- The vegetable garden, on a typical 18th century plan, has an area of one and a half hectares, the equivalent of two football pitches (Villandry is 1.25 hectares).

- La Bussière" comes from the Latin Buxeria, which means bush or box tree.

- On 27 April 1533, François I stopped at La Bussière on his way to Gien. On September 1562, it was the turn of Charles IX and his mother Catherine de Medici to stop for lunch, this time on their way back from Gien.

If you are interested, you can take advantage of the guided tours. There is also the possibility to buy old vegetables from the garden or to pick berries. There are interactive trails in the large park, which are a pleasure to walk around. Château de la Bussière also offers an Escape Game in the Chateau's linen room.

Website La Bussière Château