Castle of La Brède, Gironde

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This castle is famous in the region. Very nice visit however.
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  Good description and tips for a unique visit Fritz!
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  Yes. Would a plan be useful to visit the castle?
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At the edge of the Landes forest, in the Graves area (famous for winery!), the severe shapes of the castle are reflected in the wide moat, surrounded by vast prairies that bordered by a wood ring.

The area has not changed since Montesquieu lived there...

My experience, Explo description:

Montesquieu was born in the castle in 1689. He spent his childhood there and
this is also where he later wrote the "L’Esprit des Lois" (Spirit of the Laws) and "Grandeur et Decadence des Romains" (Grandeur and Decandance of the Romans).

The famous philosopher was only travelling to Paris for the winter time.
He died in 1755.

His last descendant, Countess Jacqueline de Chabannes, lived there until 2004.

Entrance to the castle : you will pass through 3 small chicane bridges linking together ancient fortifications.

The dungeon dates of the 13th, the chapel of the 15th, and the tower of the 16th century.

Inside the castle, you will discover many many rooms, entirely furnished : the antechamber, the salon, the secretaries’ rooms as well as that of his wife, the chapel, the living room... and the emblematic spaces in which Montesquieu worked, his room, his library : it is conserved such as it was in the 17th century.

The library is a 216 square meter vaulted room. It holds several thousand works. In 1994, the Countess Jacqueline de Chabannes made a grant to the municipal library of Bordeaux of the totality of the manuscripts and works.

My personal recommendations:

You will take a broad avenue in the middle of a landscaped gardens to reach the castle. A vast piece of water surrounds the castle. I advise to make a tour of the castle to admire its different perspectives.

How getting there:

Château de La Brède (1km west from the village).
Castle Avenue
The Brède 33650

Useful information:

Open hours:

From 11 to 26 April, every day except Tuesday from 2 pm to 6:30 pm
From April 27 to May 30, weekends and public holiday from 2 pm to 6:30
From June 1st to September 30 every day except Tuesday from 2 pm to 6:45 pm
From 1rst to October 25 : weekends and public holiday from 2 pm to 6:30
From October 26 to November 11 : weekends and public holiday from 2 pm to 5:30 pm

Visit duration:

Guided visit : departure every hour.
Duration : 45 min.

Entry fees:

Outside : 2.5 €
Inside : guided visit only 7 € / adult

Contact:

Tel : 05 56 78 47 72
Fax : 05 56 78 46 69

www.chateaulabrede.com

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