Koningshoeven Abbey, founded in 1881 in Berkel-Enschot, Netherlands, is a Trappist monastery established by monks fleeing religious persecution in France. Known for its brewery, it overcame financial struggles and expanded through the 20th century, playing a key role in the Cistercian order, and continues to operate today with a small monastic community.
The Château du Lude is one of the many great châteaux of the Loire Valley in France. Le Lude is the most northerly château of the Loire Valley and one of the last important historic castles in France, still inhabited by the same family for the last 260 years. The château is testimony to four centuries of French architecture, as a stronghold transformed into an elegant house during the Renaissance and the 18th century. The monument is located in the valley of Le Loir. Its gardens have evolved throughout the centuries.