The castle of Saint-Germain-de-Livet is located in the eponymous town, in the Calvados department, a few kilometers south of Lisieux.
It was erected by the lord of the place, Robert de Tournebu, on the foundations of an earlier fortress, in the 15th and 16th centuries.
It takes the form of a half-timbered manor house (15th century) lined by a checkerboard construction made of Caen stones and bricks from the Pays d'Auge (16th century). Thus comprising medieval and Renaissance elements, the whole is surrounded by a moat and has a garden. Access is via a footbridge, the buildings forming a courtyard bordered by a gallery. We observe that the entrance pavilion is framed by turrets and that the main building has retained a tower of the original castle (12th century).
The estate remained in the same family until 1810, then, when it became the property of the Pillaut family in 1920, it was bequeathed to the city of Lisieux in 1957.
Nowadays, it houses a museum where The furnishings that remained in place from the time of the last owners are on display, as well as the artistic collections that belonged to them, including paintings by one of their ancestors, Léon Riesener (1808-1878), who was also a cousin of Eugène Delacroix.
This set is presented in the magnificent setting of the château-manor house, which includes an office room decorated with 16th century frescoes.
A visit to the park with trees and flowers completes the whole.
Open to the public from April to early November every day except Monday. Price: from 7 euros. Information on +33 2 31 31 00 03 or +33 2 31 62 07 70.
