The origin of the castle dates back to the early years of the reign of Louis XIII. The main building was originally a “flag to the Italian” built in 1633 for Zanobi Leoni, an Italian banker of the suite of Marie de Medici (1575-1642). In the middle of the following century, two side pavilions were added on both sides of the central body. The estate was bought in 1765 by Prince Louis François de Bourbon Conti (1717-1776). Commons located west of the castle were refurbished in the nineteenth century.
The gardens are inspired by the regular style gardens of the seventeenth century called “Ã la française”. The first terrace at the foot of the castle offers an unobstructed view of the city, the valley of the Oise and the forest of l’Isle-Adam. A second terrace, with ten pieces of embroidery planted with boxwood, is confined to the southeast corner in an elegant pavilion gazebo. A third terrace below provides access to an orangery facing a circular basin surrounded by two rows of linden halfpipe. A labyrinth of hedges, a nymphaeum ornamented with shells and a collection of old iris nicely complement the visit. The castle and its park are included in the inventory of historical monuments since 1987 and are a property of the General Council of Val d’Oise.
Text quoted from Château d’Auvers website. Image copyright G. Fey
