Classified as a historical monument and located 10 km from Saumur in France, the "Château de Brézé" welcomes you to its architectural wonders, and to its unique underground tunnels cut into the tufa.
Considered one of the most intriguing castles of the Loire, partly due to its underground fortress, discovering the castle's history will allow you to understand the bond some of the Kings of France had with it.
With its exceptional underground heritage, consisting of a steeply sloping gallery and numerous troglodytic cavities, Brézé invites visitors to discover the mysterious existence of the first lords of Brézé.
The tour route, which covers more than a kilometre underground, offers a glimpse of the almost paranoid defence system designed to protect against invaders in the Middle Ages. Nine metres below ground, unexpected underground rooms were dug out several hundred years ago: stables, kitchens and light wells. In addition to the underground passages, the dry moats are impressive in terms of their size and depth, which make them some of the deepest in Europe. Dug in the 15th century and further excavated in the 16th century, they are pierced with astonishing rooms: an underground bakery, a 17th-century silkworm farm, a barrel room and one of the largest wine press rooms in France.
The Château de Brézé is now a private monument that attracts more than 100,000 visitors each year. It is owned by the Count and Countess of Colbert.
The current family is responsible for numerous projects aimed at maintaining and embellishing this historical gem. In 2006, the large interior gallery, a 19th-century reception hall, was completed 150 years after its construction, with elegant neo-Gothic decoration designed by the workshops of Amaury de Cambolas.
