Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte

Maincy

Superintendent of Finances since 1653, Nicolas Fouquet had a château and gardens built at Vaux from 1656 to 1661, bringing together the architect Louis Le Vau, the painter Charles Le Brun and the gardener André Le Nôtre. His motto was three words — Quo non ascendet, "how high will he not climb?" — and his emblem a squirrel. On 17 August 1661 he received Louis XIV there: gardens lit up, fireworks, a banquet, and the première of Molière's Les Fâcheux. Nineteen days later, on 5 September, d'Artagnan arrested him in Nantes. Since Voltaire it has been said that the fête brought about his downfall; historians point out that the decision to arrest him had been taken by mid-June. Fouquet died in 1680 at Pignerol. The estate passed to Marshal Villars in 1705, to the Choiseul-Praslin family in 1764, and was bought at auction by Alfred Sommier in 1875. Private property, it is a listed historic monument.

Getting there : Private property open to visitors from mid-March to early November, paid entry; free parking.

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

Ambient sound