Château de Merville

Merville

The estate, acquired in 1575 by Mathieu de Chalvet, was transformed into a château in the 18th century, from 1743, by the Marquis Henri-Auguste de Chalvet-Rochemonteix: three ranges of buildings laid out in a U, raised in 300,000 pink bricks, form an ensemble typical of the Toulouse Enlightenment. The interior preserves an octagonal summer salon and a Chinese salon adorned with 18 panels painted by Gilles Pin in 1754. The 40-hectare park, designed on the principles of Le Nôtre, contains the largest box maze in Europe, with nearly 6 kilometres of clipped walks over 4 hectares.

Getting there : Listed as a monument historique (historic monument); the maze holds the "Jardin remarquable" (remarkable garden) label; open to the public since 2005 (around 45,000 visitors a year)

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

Ambient sound