Park, fortress and games garden

During nearly an hour, the tour offers the visitor a twenty stops route, from the ice room, through the sensorial path of vines until the relics of the old fortress at the top of the hill. Shadowed alleys under old lime trees, “greenery theatre”, bowling green, cave, sheep pen, kiosk, sightseeing points on the Revermont and the Bresse plain, light and shadows... Everything invites to daydream, sat on a bench admiring the landscape.

Classé Monument Historique, c'est un des rares parcs français ayant conservé les traces visibles des terrasses et bosquets créés au 18ème siècle au cœur d'un site médiéval. Son entretien et sa restauration permanente sont guidés par l'étude du plan d'origine de 1774, conservé au château.

Classified Historical Monument, it is one the few French parks which kept visible traces of terraces and groves created in the XVIIIth century in the heart of a medieval castle. Continuous maintenance and restoration are made according the original map of 1774, kept in the castle. The tour ends with the games garden, mixing flowers, fruits and vegetables in order to represent a giant croquet game and table games. Created in 1996 in place of a rose garden, it is for many years classified as a Remarkable Garden.

A guide map is offered at the entrance to the visitor for the tour of the 8 hectares Romantic Park.

The visit of the interior of the castle

On your own with documentation, discover the flats of the Prince and Princess P. d'Arenberg, furnished with taste and modernity in 1825. The chapel, the bedrooms, the drawing room, the library, the billiard room and the dining room have retained their period decorations, furniture and accessories, forming an exceptional ensemble.

> More practical informations...

Prince Pierre d’Arenberg bedroom

For his room and closet, the Prince choosed a sober style, reflection of a reliable personality. Painted walls, simple mahogany furniture, surrounded by family souvenirs and some others brought from its campaign with Napoléon. However, which contrasts with this sobriety, he’s revealing his taste for the artistic actual trends of his time by painting from young en vogue romantic artists such as Louis-Léopold Robert, Giuseppe Canella, Henry Scheffer...

Princess Alix d’Arenberg room

Ordered to Alexis Répécaud, cabinetmaker in Poligny, all the original furniture is here: armchairs, desk, wardrobe, chest of drawers, mirror... Amongst this rare and well preserved set, you may notice the surprising giraffe bed, witness of this time’s fashion inspired by the giraffe “Zarafa” offered by the Sultan of Egypt to the French king in 1826. This beautiful set is made in the modern style of this period (Charles X style) in ash tree with burr elm veneer. The walls have kept their transfer painted papers and theirs trompe-l’oeil style borders, quite new at this period. On these walls we can see pictures of Narcisse Perrard, architect and poet from Jura, dated from 1865.

The Library

Prince Pierre d’Arenberg ordered to Répécaud the decoration, in maple and walnut tree, of his library. It fits perfectly in harmony with the golden bindings of the numerous books about literature, travels, history and techniques. A nice stove is located in the middle of the room, which is a pretty unusual location. It has been made like this in order to prevent any damage to the fragile panelling. Its chimney is cleverly hidden under the floor and covered on the wall by a trompe-l’oeil representing books with funny titles (they mock the French Revolution).

The grand Salon

It’s the central room, taking all its width and giving access to the balcony and the interior courtyard. The panelling is supposed to be from the XVIIIth Century. Furnished in 1825 in Charles X style, quite modern for this period, this room has stayed in its original state: parquet floor with a star shape, massive oil chandelier, armchairs made of ash tree, couches, games table, Chinese porcelains, piano-fore from J.H. Pape (the oldest known in France), elegant Molinges (Jura) marble fireplace. This lounge is decorated with numerous family portraits or historical portraits coming from famous workshops.

The great Cellar

The presence of wood pillars allows us to date this cellar as the oldest part of the castle, near 1650, when it was a convent for the monks. This cellar is still used today for ageing wines, both red and whites, in big casks. You may also find an old copper still from the beginning of the XXth. The walls are covered with yeast from the numerous grape harvests which were stocked here. It gives the walls a dark aspect and a smell specific to the old cellars.