Buzançais, Centre-Val de Loire 36500

A listed castle and its grounds of 33 hectares in the Centre-Val de Loire region. In the 15th century, a companion in arms and adviser to Louis Xi built a sumptuous keep close to the original fortified manor house. In the 16th century, his descendants had four wings added to the original structure, featuring the Italianate galleries that are the hallmark of the present-day castle. One of these galleries was destroyed during the French Revolution, while another was completely transformed into a corps-de-logis in the 19th century. The three remaining wings are arranged around an open courtyard, flanked by three round towers and the former square keep at the corners. Not far from the castle, the outbuildings form a vast complex of buildings altered in the 17th century. On three sides, they enclose a farmyard, in the centre of which stood the parish church until the 18th century, when it was moved to the village. The remains of a ditch and a drawbridge suggest that the complex was surrounded by a moat. The grounds extend beyond the complex, crossed by the river and featuring a 4-hectare lake with its landing stage and hut. The property's 36 hectares are entirely walled, with a turret seemingly standing guard at each corner. Two high entrance gates open onto the village, one in front of the castle and the other opposite the outbuildings. A third gate provides access to a country lane running along the perimeter wall.