Château de Brissac

Brissac-Loire-Aubance

For all its architectural excess, the château keeps a stubborn legend: that of a lady in green who is said to haunt its towers on stormy nights.

Built on an 11th-century fortress attributed to Fulk Nerra, the present château is the result of a reconstruction in 1455 by Pierre de Brézé and then of a Renaissance-style campaign launched after 1606 by Charles II de Cossé, Duke of Brissac. With its seven storeys and 204 rooms, it is traditionally presented as the tallest château in France. Still lived in by the dukes of Brissac, it preserves a theatre inaugurated in 1890. The estate has remained in the same family since 1502, a rare case of unbroken inheritance in the Loire Valley.

Getting there : Partially protected as a historic monument; owned by the Cossé-Brissac family since 1502, still lived in, open to visitors

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

Ambient sound