Château de Cirey-sur-Blaise

Cirey-sur-Blaise

The intellectual refuge where Voltaire and Émilie du Châtelet made the Haute-Marne a hearth of the Enlightenment.

From 1734 the château de Cirey became the retreat of Voltaire and of the mathematician and physicist Émilie du Châtelet, who for fifteen years led there a life devoted to study and scientific research. In 1738 the two scholars entered separately the Académie des Sciences competition on the nature of fire, finally won by Euler. The château was then linked to two ironworks in the Blaise valley, Voltaire himself holding the office of ironmaster. The château appears in the background of Voltaire's portrait on the 10-franc banknote.

Getting there : Listed as a monument historique (historic monument); private property, seasonal visits

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

Ambient sound