- Type
- Palace / château
- Built
- c. 1630 · 17th century
- Location
- Île-de-France, France
- Style
- Classicism
- Architect
- François Mansart
- Coordinates
- 48.9472°, 2.1538°
History
The château was built in around 1630–1651 by François Mansart for René de Longueil, president of the Paris Parlement, who gave the architect unusual freedom. The result is one of the purest buildings of French classicism, visited by Louis XIV. In 1777 it was bought by the Count of Artois, the future King Charles X, who had François-Joseph Bélanger redesign the interiors. After the Revolution it belonged to Marshal Lannes among others, and in 1818 the banker Jacques Laffitte bought it, sold off the park in lots and laid out a villa estate – the beginning of the town of Maisons-Laffitte. The state bought the château in 1905, saving it from demolition.
What to see
The château stands on a terrace ringed by a dry moat, looking towards the Seine. Visitors see the vestibule with its carved eagles and reliefs, the monumental staircase with its stone balustrade and the apartments of the king and of the Count of Artois. Around it lies a town famous for horse racing and stud farms, its avenues laid out across the former park.
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