The castle of Valmirande, located in Montréjeau on the road to Lannemezan, on the border of the Haute-Garonne and the Hautes-Pyrénées, was built by Baron Bertrand de Lassus according to the plans of Louis Garros, a famous architect from Bordeaux.
It is a real treasure, inspired by the castle of Chambord.
In 1892, the Baron acquired 10 plots of land in a single block, with a surface area of about 41 hectares, in order to build the castle surrounded by a landscaped park.
In 1893, at the age of 24, he had inherited the immense fortune acquired in his profession as a banker, his mother's fortune coming from the Pillet-Will family, bankers, co-founders and then directors of the Caisse d'Epargne and regents of the Banque de France, whose assets were estimated in 1871 at 23 million francs. A great lover of the Pyrenees, he had this huge neo-Renaissance-style building built, with its chapel, large flowerbeds and a park.
On the feast of Saint-Bertrand, October 16, 1893, the first stone was laid and then blessed by the Archbishop of Toulouse and in 1898, only five years later, the castle, the surrounding wall and the outbuildings were built.
The building was inhabited in April 1899.
Its owner was Baroness Simone de Lassus until September 2015. Since that date, her son, Baron Bertrand de Lassus is the owner of the estate.
The castle
The 70 m long and 40 m high castle is inspired by the castles of the Loire Valley (Chambord, Chenonceau, Azay). The outbuildings are in the Bigourdan style.
The chapel was added to the east wing between 1902 and 1905 and consecrated on 25 March 1905 on the feast of the Annunciation by Mgr Germain, archbishop of Toulouse. There are magnificent marbles, stained glass windows, enamels and a statue of Christ by Louis-Ernest Barrias.
A medieval tower was built more than 40 meters east of the castle to house a steam calorifier, the coal cellar, the boiler alone sufficient to heat the castle.
The park and gardens
The park, a veritable arboretum of more than 180 trees, is the work of the brothers Denis and Eugène Bühler who created the Tête d'Or park in Lyon, the Borély park in Marseille, the Talleyrand property in Valencay and the Bordeaux park among others.
In 1912, the son of the landscape gardener Édouard André inserted two "French-style" flowerbeds: one to the north and the other to the south of the castle, from which you can enjoy the view of the Pyrenees beyond the Neste valley and Saint-Bertrand de Comminges.
The castle and the park are classified as Historic Monuments since December 14, 1992.
The stable of the Château de Valmirande is one of the most beautiful in France.
The Domaine de Valmirande in Montréjeau is a private property.
Opening hours:
Guided and paying visits from July 14 to August 14 included at 4pm, and from August 16 to the end of September only on Thursday at 4pm. All year round, visits are possible by appointment for groups of 10 people or more. Individuals can join groups, please contact the Montréjeau tourist office for information,
Hôtel de Lassus,
6 rue du Barry
31210 Montréjeau.
Tel : 05 62 00 79 55.
Valmirande Castle
Tarbes Road
RD 817
31210 Monréjeau
Phone : 05 62 00 79 55
Informations : Yvonne Corrégé : 06 21 05 40 16.
https://www.mairie-montrejeau.com/fr/loisirs-culture/le-chateau-de-valmirande
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