Château de Montpoupon, Céré-la-Ronde, France

The Château de Montpoupon is named after a Germanic tribe, the Poppo, who settled here on the rocky promontory at the time of Charlemagne. The site thus came to be known as Mons Poppo (the hill of the Poppos).With the passage of time this evolved into Montpoupon.

At the end of the Middle Ages, the château passed into the hands of the Lords de Prie et de Buzançais, a family who were to leave their mark. In 1460, Antoine de Prie and his wife, Madeleine d’Amboise restored the château which had been left in poor condition at the end of the Hundred Years War.

In 1763 the Marquis de Tristan, Mayor of Orléans acquired the property. The Marquis turned his hand to restoring the château to a semblance of its former glory. However, his initiative was curtailed by the onset of the Revolution; fortunately despite the terror of the time, only the chapel was destroyed and the château remained intact. In 1840 the château underwent further transformation at the hands of its new owner, M. de Farville with the construction of the present outbuildings.

Finally, in 1857, Jean Baptiste de la Motte Saint Pierre acquired the estate. At the turn of the century the family began the work which was to restore the château to the Renaissance appearance it has to-day. In memory of his family, the present owner, the Count of Louvencourt, nephew of the above, has set up the magnificent Musée du veneur (Hunting Museum) in the outbuildings.

References:

Château de Montpoupon Official Website

User Reviews

Andrew Smith (2 years ago)
Lovely chateau to visit. Has a lived in feel. Dogs welcome! And really nice grounds to explore. Hunting museum was interesting but not if hunting with hounds upsets you! Great restaurant near by - the auberge du chateau.

Idie Weinsoff (3 years ago)
Beautiful! A little-known gem that should be included in any visit to the Loire Valley. I especially loved the many small drawings and watercolors of hunting scenes and animals. A fabulous collection!

Robin Astle (3 years ago)
Definitely worth a detour and a visit. Competition between different castles in the area is high but this castle is really a treasure! Also great with kids, the rooms are nicely decorated and ignite the imagination of the kids. The walk in the woods is also very nice as well as the museum covering the hunting history of the castle.

gill ansell (4 years ago)
This is a lovely privately owned chateau. Well preserved and furnished, it gives a fascinating insight into country life in France. Staged rooms with a charming story told by the daughter of the chateau asking her father questions.

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