Luxury is freedom

Prince by Nature

Photographer

VERONIQUE MATI

 

Text

MICHA CHRISTOS

LE PRINCE JARDINIER

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inspired by nature and truly committed to the environmental cause, Louis Albert de Broglie is the owner of the Château de la Bourdaisière, creator of the “Prince Jardinier” and owner of the “Deyrolle” cabinet of curiosities.

 

The château was built by François 1er on a 14th century citadel for the beautiful Marie Gaudin. It has housed the royal loves of the History of France including those of Henri IV and Gabrielle d’Estrée. In the heart of the Loire Valley, not far from Tours, it has belonged to prestigious owners, including the Marquis de Crèvecœur, the Duke of Choiseul, the Duchess of Orléans, the Barons Angelier.

 

Located in the village of Montlouis-sur-Loire between the Loire and the Cher, the château is in the heart of a region classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, and a few kilometers from Amboise, Chenonceau, Villandry, Chaumont-sur Loire, Clos Lucé, an ideal starting point for bike rides along the Loire and the Cher.       



 

 

 

 

In this superb region classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, La Bourdaisière is today a real experimental laboratory rooted in eco-responsibility and well-being.

 

This unique experience between heritage and ecology offers a wonderful charming stay in this «laboratory of life». This exceptional estate is only an hour from Paris by TGV and consists of 25 rooms and 4 apartments, a reception room dating from the 16th century and 25,000 m2 of troglodyte cellars dating from the 14th century open to the public.

 

It is a castle known for its gardens, its festivals dedicated to Nature and its National Tomato Conservatory, created in 1995. In these exceptional places, it is sweet to walk in the heart of delicately preserved nature.

 

From the «Italian Gate» attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, the walker can then discover majestic redwoods and Lambert cypresses.

 

Along the way, he can admire works by «Landart» and temporary Deyrolle exhibitions before arriving at the tomato conservatory with a collection of 800 varieties in the heart of the Dahliacolor® vegetable garden.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The contemporary garden proud of its 400 varieties of dahlias was designed by Louis Benech. The new orchard is made up of 76 fruit trees.

 

The rehabilitation of the cellars dug into the rock has made it possible to create a unique catering area.

 

Since 2020, the Well-Being course has been dedicated to relaxation, awakening the senses, and physical and emotional health.

 

Depending on personal tastes, it is possible to practice sports activities such as Woodfit with wooden apparatus, cycling, running, tennis or swimming in the blue waters of the pool.

 

For those who love peace and quiet, a house is dedicated to yoga and meditation. And for everyone, massages are offered in the room.                                       














 

 

 

As for feasts, the château estate is an invitation to taste the healthiest and most exquisite pleasures. Cooking classes are offered to savor the garden’s harvests and, for wine lovers, the château’s vines produce a dry or sparkling white wine that will open the palate to set off on the Touraine wine route.

 

After all these activities, sweet rest can be found in an enchanting and refined setting with the colors of fabrics signed «Braquenié» and furniture signed «Le Prince Jardinier». Continuing his love of life and his passion for nature, Louis Albert de Broglie bought “Deyrolle” in 2001.

 

Under his leadership, this unique place in the world has continued its educational vocation, dear to its founder Jean Baptiste Deyrolle in 1831.

 

This trained taxidermist created a real craze for entomology with his collections and observations of insects.

 

He and his descendants developed an intense activity of publishing and selling specialized works on fauna and flora.In 1888, Emile Deyrolle set up his offices and store at 46 rue du Bac in the former private mansion of Samuel Bernard, son of Louis XIV’s banker.



 

 

 

 

 

 

Deyrolle became a world-renowned institution that appealed to a particularly wide audience. After several owners, Louis Albert de Broglie and his team restored this institution to its former glory by perpetuating the spirit of this magical place and strengthening its educational approach.

 

This two-hundred-year-old house is today the last cabinet of curiosities open to the public, offering the opportunity to discover exceptional pieces and acquire them.

To extend its history and satisfy the demands of enthusiasts from all over the world, Deyrolle also offers the creation of personalized cabinets of curiosities and helps everyone to create their own according to their own aspirations and desires. Linked to the arts and sciences for nearly two centuries,

 

Deyrolle creates extraordinary works, chimeras and compositions for museums. In order to highlight its lasting commitments and its dialogue with its intrinsic values, the house is also developing meaningful partnerships with famous names in cinema, fashion and the culinary arts.

 

Louis Albert de Broglie took up the gauntlet of the line of gentlemen of his illustrious family and thus proved that a gardener prince or tomato prince is noble by nature...