Thursday 24th March 2022 from 10 am until 10 pm
Exceptional open day
25 years have passed since the gardens were re-awoken.
25 years of re-conquering the tens of thousands of Boxwood.
25 years and millions of dazzled visitors.
Let’s celebrate!
Join us for an exceptional programme, the perfect opportunity to discover two newly-renovated areas in our 19th century chateau, in the company of Alain Baraton, head gardener at Versailles and patron of the event.
Opening of the O’Galop exhibition
There are creators who have gradually faded behind their creation. Kléber Rossillon’s great-grandfather, Marius Rossillon (1867-1946,) known as O’Galop, the first designer of the Michelin Man, is one of them. A keen-eyed artist with a talent for bold lines, his sense of observation and his ever-moving imagination produced works of great quality and diversity: from his many posters to his illustrations for young people, a thread of resolutely modern vibrant creativity will be revealed throughout the château, culminating in the presentation of a set of original watercolors showing the beauty of the valley during the last century.
Presentation of the new “Guide Vert MICHELIN Périgord Quercy 2022,” and the “Most Beautiful Parks and Gardens,” by Philippe Orain, International director of MICHELIN travel guides.
Inauguration of “The Gardener’s Workshop.”
For 25 years we have worked hard all year round to preserve the heritage of this remarkable landscape, inherited from the 17th and 19th centuries. The 150,000 box trees on the site, along with 2 hectares of flowerbeds and 10 km of hedges, are pruned entirely by hand to guarantee the aesthetics and health of the plants.” Jean Lemoussu, the head gardener, and his team, are discreet craftsmen, bringing splendor to the park, but they are also guardians of the garden’s spirit; their know-how has enabled Marqueyssac to regain its original beauty.
We wanted to pay tribute to our gardeners with a new space entirely dedicated to them, one in which the film “Secrets of gardeners” will be premiered.
Candlelight evening… fireworks!
Accompanied by our faithful fairies, we will relight our candles around the castle, ones extinguished for two years, before ending our 25th anniversary in style with a fireworks display in the valley. The castle surroundings will remain accessible free of charge until 9.30 p.m. so all visitors can watch the display from the terraces.
An event on both sides of the Dordogne organised in collaboration with Castelnaud Castle
On the other side of the river, the news is no less sensational. This open day will allow you to attend the inaugural firing of the castle’s new life-size war machine; the “Couillard,” and to discover two new films which have made their debut in the museum’s tour: one on the restoration of the fortress and the adventure of reconstituted war machines, the other on the operation of these machines in a siege situation.
