Château Dreaming

Centre-Val de Loire · Indre, France

Château de Valençay

Talleyrand's great stage: Napoleon urged his foreign minister to buy Valençay in 1803 to dazzle visiting dignitaries, and from 1808 to 1814 it 'hosted' — in gilded detention — Ferdinand VII of Spain. The kitchens of Talleyrand's legendary chef Antonin Carême complete the diplomatic theatre.

Château de Valençay
Photo: Jean-Christophe BENOIST · CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

At a glance

Built
Begun 1540
Style
Renaissance and classical
Commissioned by
Jacques d'Estampes; acquired by Talleyrand 1803
Signature feature
Talleyrand's apartments and Carême's kitchens
The detention
Ferdinand VII of Spain held here 1808–1814; freed by the Treaty of Valençay
Architecture
Renaissance donjon meets 18th-century classical wings
Table
Antonin Carême, 'king of chefs', cooked for Talleyrand's diplomacy
Visiting
Open to visitors (seasonal calendar)