Pays de la Loire · Loire-Atlantique, France

Château de la Bretesche

White stone doubled in a broad lake on the edge of the Brière marshes at Missillac — the château the old blog post mislaid in the Loire Valley. Burned in the Revolution and rebuilt in the 19th century, its outbuildings are now a celebrated hotel and golf resort while the château itself remains private.

At a glance

Built: 15th century; rebuilt 19th century
Style: Moated Breton-marches castle
Commissioned by: Montaigu family
Signature feature: Moat-lake reflection against the Brière woodland
Geography, corrected: Missillac, Loire-Atlantique, near the Brière — not the Loire Valley
Revolution: Burned 1793; rebuilt in neo-Gothic taste in the 19th century
Today: Château private; domaine operates as hotel, spa and golf
Visiting: Grounds/hotel accessible; château private