Château de la Brède

The Château de La Brède is a feudal castle in the commune of La Brède in the département of Gironde, France.

The castle was built in the Gothic style starting in 1306, on the site of an earlier castle. It is surrounded by water-filled moats and an English garden, in the centre of a Bordelais vineyard. Despite modifications over the centuries, it has kept its character as a fortress.

The philosopher Montesquieu (1689–1755), (full title: Charles Louis de Secondat, baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu) was born, lived and wrote the majority of his works here. Visitors may see his library (though the books have been transferred to the library in Bordeaux) and his bedroom, both preserved as they were in the 18th century.

At her death in 2004, the Countess of Chabannes, a descendant of Montesquieu and last owner of the château, bequeathed her belongings, including the castle, to the Foundation named after her.

The castle is open to visitors from Easter to 11 November. It is classed by the French Ministry of Culture as a monument historique.

Text adapted from “Château de la Brède” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Château de la Brède ranks #1,809 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #136 of the 469 mapped in France. Founded 1306, it is older than 62% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 582 atlas entries founded in the 14th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 2,601 times in the last 60 days, more than 72% of the atlas. 3 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. See how France compares in the castle statistics.

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Read the full history on Wikipedia ↗