Within a wooded valley in Auxois, at Bussy-le-Grand in Côte-Or, stands Bussy-Rabutin Castle, a very fine Renaissance building that has been awarded Maison des Illustres certification. Surrounded by a moat, it has a magnificent main courtyard that combines medieval, Renaissance and classical styles.
Inside, an abundance of paintings hang on the walls. Three rooms in particular stand out: the Room of Mottos, Bussy's chamber and the sumptuous cabinet of the Golden Tower, where numerous portraits and other paintings cover the walls!
But the beautiful French formal garden is also part of the place's charm. This listed Remarkable Garden has fountains, water features, box parterres, garden rooms and groves delimited by paths forming a star shape. You are sure to be enchanted by the sweet fragrance of the heritage rose varieties. An apiary, dovecote, orchard and vegetable garden where heritage varieties are grown, as well as statues of mythological characters, complete this wonderful ensemble.
| Opening times | Monday: 09:15 AM – 01:00 PM, 02:00 PM – 06:00 PM • Tuesday: 09:15 AM – 01:00 PM, 02:00 PM – 06:00 PM • Wednesday: 09:15 AM – 01:00 PM, 02:00 PM – 06:00 PM • Thursday: 09:15 AM – 10:30 AM, 02:00 PM – 06:00 PM • Friday: 10:30 AM – 01:00 PM, 02:00 PM – 06:00 PM • Saturday: 09:15 AM – 01:00 PM, 02:00 PM – 06:00 PM • Sunday: 09:15 AM – 01:00 PM, 02:00 PM – 06:00 PM |
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| Address | 12 Rue du Château, Bussy-le-Grand |
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| Telephone | +33 3 80 96 00 03 |
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| Official site | chateau-bussy-rabutin.fr |
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The castle of Bussy-Rabutin is located in the municipality of Bussy-le-Grand, Côte-d'Or, 19 km southeast of Montbard.
Historical Monument in 1862, it is owned by the state since 1929 and the building is managed by the National Monuments Center.
Originally, it is a simple fortified house built in the twelfth century by Renaudin lord of Bussy in a wooded valley near the archaeological site of Alesia.
Became a residential castle in the fourteenth century, it is redesigned in a Renaissance style under King Henry II and embellished still under the reign of Louis XIII in the seventeenth century.
This is the personality of its owners, Count Roger de Bussy-Rabutin (1618-1693) who greatly contributed to the fame of the site. General, courtier, writer, he organized an orgy in his castle during the Easter holidays in 1659 causing his exile form of house arrest at his home for three months, far from the court of Louis XIV. A year later, he wrote a pamphlet describing the habits and antics of the court, "love History of Gaul." The book is published without his knowledge in 1665 and this time, Roger de Rabutin is stripped of all his titles, the Bastille during 13 months, then exiled for life to his castle in Burgundy. He then devoted himself to writing, including corresponding with Madame de Sevigne and had decorated his castle some 500 portraits of celebrities or women he loved.
The set is preserved and restored in the nineteenth century, including the French garden and the 34-hectare park, which have been classified recently.
Architecturally, the castle presents different styles: the facade of the seventeenth, however, is in harmony with the courtyard overlooked by the Renaissance galleries. But the uniqueness of the castle is its decoration, namely its many rooms (gallery, bedrooms, living rooms) decorated with portraits accompanied currencies and aphorisms referring to the particular life of Count...
Open every day except 1 January, 1 May, 1 November, 11 November and 25 December. Free or guided visit. Price: 6.50 euros and 8. Information at +33 3 80 96 00 03.
