This year an exceptional route is proposed to visitors of the site of the Chaussade: the Chateau with for the first time an interior visit of some buildings, the presentation of the rehabilitation project, the Forges Royales and the presentation of its development projects including the bell tower building (future multipurpose hall for 600 people) and the micro-hydro plant . Visitors will be accompanied during their journey by a guide.
CHATEAU DE LA CHAUSSADE The Chateau de la Chaussade was built in 1746 for Baron Pierre Babaud de la Chaussade, creator of the royal ironworks of Guérigny (Nièvre, Burgundy-France-Comté region) and author of a vast urban planning project still readable in the city. From the middle of the eighteenth century until 1971, the chains and anchors of ships were produced specifically by this site, supplier of the navy and the large ships of the French commercial fleet. The entire castle, including the outbuildings, the park, the green courtyard and the courtyard of the castle have been inscribed as historic monuments since October 11, 2002. The castle and the park cover an area of nearly 6 hectares. In 2020, the municipality of Guérigny acquired the Château de la Chaussade and its park and undertook a vast restoration program led by the municipal team in charge of preserving the heritage of the city of Guérigny. The castle will be exceptionally open to the public on 17 and 18 September 2022 on the occasion of the European Heritage Days. The Parks (6 hectares) have just been opened permanently to the public. For these 2022 Heritage Days, it will be possible to walk through them with a guide.
THE ROYAL IRONWORKS Heiresses of a long metallurgical tradition, the Forges de la Chaussade constituted in the eighteenth century one of the most important manufactures of France. They were bought by King Louis XVI in 1781. Specialized in the manufacture of parts for the Navy, the establishment continued its activity in Guérigny until 1971 as Forges Nationales de la Marine. The buildings of the site of Vieux Guérigny, classified or inscribed in the additional inventory of historical monuments, are the object of important restoration work carried out by the city of Guérigny and the association Les Amis du Vieux Guérigny thus saving from the ruin of industrial buildings laden with history while paying a special tribute to the iron workers who worked in these places in the service of the navy. One of the pride of the Royal Forges of Guérigny is to have manufactured, by "moulding", the anchors of the liner «France» and, also, to have played a crucial role in the independence of the United States of America by equipping the fleet of Admiral de Grasse (in anchors, canons, ....)allied with the American fleet, which defeated the English fleet in Chesapeake Bay in 1781.