Château de Sully-sur-Loire

Sully-sur-Loire

Built on three islets at the heart of the Loire's floodplain, at a strategic ford across the river, the château de Sully-sur-Loire is mentioned as early as 1102 under the name "castrum soliacense". The present keep, with its four corner towers, was raised at the end of the 14th century by Guy de La Trémoille, on a site already fortified by Philip Augustus in 1218. In 1602, Maximilien de Béthune, minister of Henri IV, bought the lordship; the king raised it to a duchy-peerage in 1606 and Béthune became Duke of Sully, then building the artillery tower that bears his name. Joan of Arc stayed here in June 1429 alongside Charles VII, and returned in March 1430. Voltaire, exiled from Paris, found refuge here in 1716 and 1719. In 1652, during the Fronde, Mazarin and Anne of Austria took shelter here, while Turenne prepared his victory over the Grand Condé. The château suffered floods and storms — that of 1363 severely damaged fortress and bridge — then the revolutionary destruction of 1793, before a fire ravaged the Louis XV wing in 1918. The keep's timber roof, known as the "Grand Galetas", imitates in chestnut the hull of an upturned ship. Bought by the Loiret département in 1962, the monument is now open to the public.

Getting there : Chemin de la Salle verte, 45600 Sully-sur-Loire, in the town centre; parking nearby, self-guided or guided visits of the château and its grounds.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound