A day in the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte by Esprit de France

There is always something on at the Château de Vaux-le-Viconte. Whether it's Christmas time with a thousand and one illuminations, Easter for a giant treasure hunt in the gardens, Saturdays for water games in the park fountains and candlelight evenings, or simply for costumed guided tours, everything is designed here to make you enjoy an unforgettable moment! And all the more so if you feel like a privileged guest immerged in a moment in the past, you will also experience life in the « Grand Siècle ».

Indeed, the whole story of the French seventeenth century, the century of the Sun King, is told through that vast estate. Vaux-le-Vicomte is the creation of Nicolas Fouquet, the finance superintendent of Louis XIV, who surrounded himself with the best artists of the time for the construction of this building: the architect Louis Le Vau for the building that stands on a large body of water, Charles Le Brun for the interior decorations and André Le Nôtre for the gardens that would become the reference model for French gardens. The whole thing is a success of harmony between architecture and nature. Fouquet organized splendid parties until 17 August 1661 when the King, invited to the castle by Fouquet, became jealous of this theatrical majesty. He had Fouquet arrested by D'Artagnan, the captain of the musketeers. The Superintendent then went through an preposterous trial to be sentenced to life imprisonment. Subsequently, the King commissioned the three artists in charge of Vaux-le-Vicomte to achieve Versailles, the masterpiece of his reign.

After passing through a number of vicissitudes, the estate was bought in 1875 by Alfred Sommier, an art lover who undertook to restore the castle and its original beauty. Today his heirs, the family of Vogüé, opened the private residence to the public while maintaining its inhabited house atmosphere. Furnished as it was in Fouquet’s time in a decor which has remained intact since the seventeenth century, your visit will take place in an intimate atmosphere. And do not forget to climb up to the dome lantern to enjoy a breathtaking 360° view of the whole area.