Centre Val De Loire Section
Chateau de Cheverny and cartoonist Herge
Chateau de Cheverny - Captain Haddock's Château de Moulinsart
The Chateau de Cheverny was made famous by the Belgian cartoonist Hergé.
The creator of Les aventures de Tintin series obviously fell in love with the chateau's sober elegance!
He therefore used it as model in order to create the Château de Moulinsart, the ancestral home of Captain Haddock.
Moulinsart is indeed a perfect replica, but of much smaller dimensions, of Cheverny!
The Chateau de Cheverny and the fictional Chateau de Moulinsart are a perfect illustration of Classical architecture.
Chateau de Cheverny, a masterpiece of Classical architecture
The Chateau de Cheverny owes its unity of style, shape and colour to the fact that it was built without interruption from 1604 to 1634.
Two identical buildings with pointed roof, and two corner pavilions topped with square roofs, frame the main entrance and central staircase.
The majesty and the sober elegance of the creamy white stone facade paired with the blue-gray slate roofs enhance this elegant symmetry.
The Chateau de Cheverny was open to the public in 1922.
It is renowned for the exceptional quality of its interior decoration and is considered the most lavishly decorated château in the Loire Valley!
It indeed boasts original period sets of furniture, tapestries and paintings of the highest sophistication.
Chateau de Cheverny - private apartments
The private apartments are composed of eight magnificent rooms.
The Dining Room was redecorated during the 19th century.
The ceiling and woodwork depict the life of Don Quixote by the painter Pierre Monier.
The walls are adorned with fine leather embossed with the coat of arms of Counts Heurtault de Cheverny.
Monier painted also the walls of the Armory.
The room exhibits a collection of armour and weapons ranging from the 15th to the 16th centuries, and a magnificent 19th century Gobelins tapestry.
Monier also painted and gilded the King's Bedchamber (Chambre du Roi).
The Great Lounge (Grand Salon) boasts more superb paintings and gilding.
The Gallery (Grande Galerie) features another impressive collection of paintings and furniture.
The Petit Salon is mostly decorated with 16th, 17th and 18th century paintings.
The Library is renowned for its refined woodwork.
Finally, the Tapestries Room (Salon des Tapisseries) exhibits an exceptional collection of Flemish tapestries.
Chateau de Cheverny - kennel and Orangerie
The kennel is one of the exceptional features of the Chateau de Cheverny.
Firstly, it strikes by its size!
But above all, it highlights the importance given to hunting by the Heurtault Family, who still owns the château.
The 18th century Orangerie was entirely restored and has been transformed into a venue for receptions and exhibitions.
Finally, a visit to the park by electric car or boat is an ideal way of ending the visit.
Department of Indre-et-Loire
Coordinates: Lat 47.500210 - Long 1.458005
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Fictional Chateau de Moulinsart CC BY-SA 2.5 - Classical facade CC BY-SA 2.5 - Orangerie CC BY 2.0
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