I've just come back from a three-day castle tour with the local chapter of VMF. It has been a real privilege to visit these castles, some of them not open to the general public, and to listen to the conference-quality explanations given by the owners.
Apart from these 5 castles, we also had guided tours of Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne and Pérouges, of the Brou church with its stone lace, and of the Chapelle des Moines with its 11th century frescoes. I feel like a much more cultured person already!
1. Drée castle - front view, 2. Drée castle - back view, 3. Drée castle - back garden, 4. Drée castle - fountain, 5. Fléchères castle - front view, 6. Fléchères castle - back view, 7. Bouligneux castle, 8. Montellier castle, 9. Berzé castle - entrance, 10. Berzé castle - garden, 11. View from Berzé castle, 12. Berzé castle - inside
Drée castle was built in the 16th century, it now belongs to Ghislain Prouvost, scion of a wealthy Northern industrial textile family. The interior decoration has been redone in recent years, includes many impressive period pieces from antique dealers, auctions and estate sales, and is too "bling-bling" according to some. I loved its back façade and gardens.
Fléchères castle was also built in the 17th century as a Protestant temple and residence, and was saved from annihilation in the eighties - it had been sold to a property developer who intended to destroy it and build modern homes in its park. Fortunately it was classified by force as historical monument and was saved from the bulldozers. It was bought 10 years ago by the owners of Cormatin castle and is in the process of being restored, with less means than at Drée, but in a much more understated, and wome would say, tasteful way. There was some beautiful wainscoting, also, magnificent frescoes, and an exceptional wooden floor, beautiful silk on a drawing room's walls, and in a bedroom, trimmings from Declercq to die for! This 1969 movie was filmed there - I had seen it when I was a child, but I have ordered the DVD to watch it again.
Bouligneux castle belongs to a private owner, Hélion de Villeneuve Esclapon, who inherited it from its ancestors - the castle has never been sold. It was built in the 14th century as a stronghold and modified in the 16th in order to turn it into a residence. Unlike the previous 2 castles, it's made from brick. In the Dombes region, stone was hard to come by but bricks would be made from the local clay-rich soil. The castle sits in a man-made lake which is drained and used as a field every 4 years. The Dombes region is famous for these lakes with which it has been dotted for centuries.
Montellier castle is a private residence as well and was built in the 13th-14th century. It belongs to Franck Richard du Montellier, whose family had acquired it in the 18th century. It's built on a height ("poype" in the local vernacular), has a vast (2.5 acres) enclosed yard, living quarters, outbuildings, and a high dungeon connected to the entrance gate with a covered, arched passage. It's made of bricks as well.
Berzé castle is an exceptional ensemble, a stronghold built in stone from the 13th century, with 3 layers of defensive walls, extensive gardens, 13 towers, a chapel, a big entrance gate, and a small village below. It belongs to the Countess Thy de Milly whose family acquired it early in the 19th century. It is probaly the best preserved, most impressive medieval fortress in France. It's built on a height as well and boasts an incomparable view on the surrounding, gently undulating countryside. We visited it in late afternoon when it was bathed in golden autumn sunlight - I would have liked to stay forever. A movie called "La veine du vigneron" or "The Vintern's luck" by Niki Caro was filmed there (an adaptation from a novel by Elizabeth Knox) and will be presented at the Cannes festival next year.
