A fairy-tale castle
Built between 1895 and 1898, the castle of Brochon was born from the dreams of the poet and politician Stéphen Liégeard. Designed by architects Louis Perreau and Albert Leprince, the castle is an eclectic work, mixing 16th-century architecture, classicism, neo-Gothic elements and Louis XVI décor. Come and discover this «castle of the Loire» of the wine coast, which was the last castle built in Burgundy!
Art in Brochon
Stéphen Liégeard calls on excellent artists to fulfill her dream of a neo-Renaissance castle. Its architects, Louis Perreau and Albert Leprince, are famous in the region. Dijon sculptor Xavier Schanosky executes the titanic monumental sculpture site. The sponsor entrusted the painted ceilings to Achille Cesbron. Paul Gasq, Prix de Rome de sculpture 1890, produced several important works, including Le Réveil de la Source and the bust portrait of the master of the place. The park is also a work of art, designed by Eugène Bühler, landscape architect of the Tête d'Or park in Lyon, and Emmanuel Olivier.
Stéphen Liégeard: politician, poet and builder
Born in 1830 in an important family of Dijon notables, son of the mayor of Dijon Jean-Baptiste Liégeard, Stéphen Liégeard first studied law brilliantly and destined for the career of lawyer. But he quickly entered the French administration and became sub-prefect at Parthenay, in the Deux-Sèvres, then at Carpentras, in the Vaucluse, where he inspired Alphonse Daudet with his «Sous-Préfet aux Champs», because “while chewing violets, Mr. Sub-Prefect was making worms.” A fervent Bonapartist, he was elected to the House of Assembly for Moselle, in the borough of Briey, in 1867. Re-elected in 1869, he was forced to relinquish his seat after the fall of the Second Empire in 1870. He then took refuge in Burgundy where he imagined his titanic project of the castle of Brochon, real revenge on life and his shattered dream of political career. Meanwhile, at the age of 40, Stéphen Liégeard decided to devote herself entirely to poetry and writing. It was a great success, the most important of which was La Côte-d'Azur, published in 1887. He led a worldly existence, a man of letters and a great philanthropist, until his death in 1925.
Please note: A guided tour is scheduled at 14:00 and another at 16:00. Booking required.
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