Ainay-le-Vieil

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Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil, with its 9 towers

This village of fewer than 200 inhabitants, on the border between the Cher and Allier departments, has preserved a variety of features from different eras: castle and church, narrow streets and buildings such as the washhouse, the Berry canal and the Mairie (town hall) have all shaped this small village, giving visitors a taste of French history and the rural world.

In addition to its 13th-century fortress, which includes a 15th-century main building and is surrounded by magnificent gardens, Ainay-le-Vieil has a wealth of stories and anecdotes to tell.

Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil, a Renaissance château built on an intact feudal enclosure

Straight out of the Middle Ages, this fortified castle retains the strength and terror of its loopholes, stunners and oubliettes. Follow the trail of these soldiers from another time on the ramparts, within reach of the crossbows, gargoyles and dragon.

The courtyard and dwelling, where two mermaids keep watch, open their doors to a world rich in centuries of encounters and history. Tower after tower, this place of a thousand secrets will transport you from the Middle Ages to the present day.

Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil, a Renaissance château built on an intact feudal enclosure

It perpetuates the memory of Louis XII, Colbert and Napoleon. The salon is decorated in honor of Louis XII and Anne de Bretagne. Nicknamed "le petit Carcassonne The château d'Ainay-le-Vieil is now part of the tourist route of the "Route Touristique". Jacques Cœur.

Jardins d'Ainay-le-Vieil, a park and gardens classified as remarkable gardens that reflect the history of gardens

In the landscaped park with its century-old trees surrounding the château, the gardens offer a beautiful contrast between the long perspectives on the water of the Renaissance canals and the enclosed gardens (hortus conclusus) of the 19th-century chartreuses. They guide visitors on a veritable promenade through the art of gardening: the rose garden through two Renaissance pavilions, the Carré en l'île with its pleated hornbeams and the 5 chartreuses, each with its own themed garden: the mixed-border, the sculpted orchard, the meditation garden, the cloister of simples and the parterres de broderies de buis.

The Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions

A permanent exhibition depicting daily life in the village of Ainay-le-Vieil before the 1914 war.

Discover the rural world, its customs, daily life and the wealth of trades that existed at the time: a shop, a classroom, a clogmaker's workshop, a blacksmith's workshop, old beehives, or the typical interior of an early 20th-century farming family.

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