Excursion to the Chateau Vaux-le-Vicomte
Tour of the Chateau
Vaux-le-Vicomte - majestic and beautiful palace with a massive parklands.
Vaux-le-Vicomte (fr. Château
de Vaux-le-Vicomte) - classic French manor-XVII century palace, located in the
vicinity of Melun, 55 km south-east of Paris. It was built in 1658-1661 for
Nicolas Fouquet, the Vicomte in and Melena, superintendent of finance under
Louis XIV.
In 1641 a small estate of Vaux-le-Vicomte was bought 26 years of Fouquet, in a convenient location, close to the road, it unites the way to the royal residence at Fontainebleau and Vincennes. After 15 years, when Fouquet was already the position of chief financier of France, he began to build a better at the time of the private palace of France, inviting the three largest professional of his time - the architect Louis Le Vau, landscape architect André Le Nôtre and interior decorator Charles Le Brun. Collaboration three masters turned into a masterpiece, and Vaux-le-Vicomte was the first example of the style of Louis XIV, who relied on the unity of architecture, interior decoration and park landscapes. The main house is surrounded on four sides by a moat. Due to the natural irrigation (on the site is constantly flowed two rivers) Le Nôtre was able to arrange for regular park Fouquet c parterres, fountains and canals. The forest around the park planted on former arable lands simultaneously with the construction of the palace.
August 17, 1661 Fouquet celebrated the grand housewarming, which were Moliere and La Fontaine. Luxuriant acquisition (among other charges) was used to attack Colbert Fouquet, Colbert King gave consent, and 5 September Fouquet was arrested by D'Artagnan. King confiscated Vaux-le-Vicomte; team left, Le Nôtre and Le Brun went to build the royal palace at Versailles. Fouquet himself died in prison in 1680, but his wife ten years after the confiscation was Vaux-le-Vicomte back.
After his son's death Fouquet castle passed to Marshal de Villars, after it to Choiseul. In 1840 the Duke of Choiseul-Praslin killed his wife in the castle; manor house was empty for 30 years. In 1875 it was sold at auction Alfred Saumier already in zapustevshem and looting of state. Saumier labors and landscape architect Gabriel Destale estate was restored.
Vaux-le-Vicomte is still private property (Count Vogё) to this day. In 1979 in Vaux-le-Vicomte was filmed "The Moon Wanderer» (Moonraker), in 1989 - "The Man in the Iron Mask."
