Centre-Val de Loire · Loir-et-Cher, France

Château de Cheverny

Built in a single campaign and never remodelled, Cheverny has the most sumptuously intact interiors of the Loire — and has belonged to the same family, the Huraults, for six centuries. Hergé used its central block as the model for Captain Haddock's Marlinspike Hall (Moulinsart).

At a glance

Built: 1624–1630
Style: Louis XIII classicism
Commissioned by: Henri Hurault, Count of Cheverny
Signature feature: Perfectly preserved 17th-century state interiors
Tintin: Model for Moulinsart / Marlinspike Hall (minus the two outer pavilions)
Continuity: Hurault family ownership across six centuries; still their home
Tradition: Working kennels and a hundred-strong hunting pack
Visiting: Open to visitors year-round