Château et village d'Apremont-sur-Allier

Apremont-sur-Allier

Apremont-sur-Allier is a village in the Cher, on the banks of the Allier, a tributary of the Loire. It was long a quarrymen's village. According to a tourist guide, its stone was used for buildings such as Orléans cathedral and the château de Chambord (to be verified). Between the two wars the ironmaster Eugène Schneider, of Le Creusot, restored the village. Its population then fell from 180 inhabitants in 1968 to 66 in 2023. It was classed among the Plus Beaux Villages de France in 1987. The château, a former fortress of the dukes of Burgundy according to the same source, dates from the 15th century; it has belonged to the Brissac family since 1722 and cannot be visited. Its former stables house a museum of 19th-century carriages. In the 1970s Gilles de Brissac created the flower park, awarded the Jardin remarquable label. It contains a Chinese bridge (1985), a Turkish pavilion (1994) and a Russian-inspired belvedere (1997), whose tiles are Nevers faience. The “white garden” is inspired by that of Sissinghurst, in Kent.

Getting there: Route de l'Aubois, on the banks of the Allier, near its confluence with the Loire. The château cannot be visited; the park can, depending on the season (not verified). Coordinates: Nominatim and Wikipedia, consistent.

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

Ambient sound