Montrésor Castle
Situated on the Indrois River and towering over the medieval town of the same name, this is one of the extraordinary châteaux in the Loire Valley and its tributaries. It impresses with its picturesque location, its 1000-year history, the beauty of its architecture, its magnificent collections and, above all, its "living house and museum" atmosphere, frozen in time. This makes it an exceptional place, one of the most beautiful in France, which also hides real treasures of Polish culture and art.
Built by Foulques Nerra, Count of Anjou, the castle was extended and modernised by Imbert de Batarnay, advisor to the kings of France during the Renaissance. Ruined during the French Revolution, it began to regain its splendour after 1849. It was then bought for her son Xawery by Róża née Potocka Branicka. Xawery, a political exile, friend of Napoleon III and one of the richest men in France, while saving this magnificent work of French architecture, at the same time made it a "Little Poland" in the heart of France. In the interiors decorated in the style of the Second Empire, he amassed an excellent Polish artistic, historical and bibliophilic collection alongside a collection of European art. In doing so, he joined the efforts of patriotic circles who sought to preserve the historical continuity of a nation then deprived of its state. "My treasure", for this is how the name Montrésor should be translated, over time, by inheritance, passed into the hands of the Rey family and related individuals. To this day, it continues to serve as a home and museum, with the unusual atmosphere of the former aristocratic seat of Polish emigration maintained there. The family's main objective is to preserve the castle unchanged with a view to making it accessible to the public. Since 1979, the Castle has been a member of the Permanent Conference of Polish Museums, Archives and Libraries Abroad, which includes the Polish Library in Paris.
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