The Château
Purchased in 1552 by Cosme Clausse, Courances was then only a manor house without a garden. In order to create a Château worthy of his status as Chacellor to the king, he undertook the creation of a landscaped park. To do so, he was obliged to control the flow of the river École and its springs. Courances owes its first real landscape and hydrolic designs in particular the creation of the Grand Canal and the Dôme.
The Château was greatly modified between 1622 and 1630 by Claude Ier Gallard and has since undergone many changes over the centuries.
After being abandoned during the 19th century, it was bought and completely restored in 1872 by Baron Samuel de Haber, a wealthy Swiss banker, ancestor of the current owners. He took the opportunity of making important structural changes, such as adding the famous horseshoe staircase inspired by the Château de Fontainebleau, and the red brick façade, so typical of the Louis XIII period.
Today, the Château is still privately owned and it is home to four generations of the family Ganay.
Visiting the Château
The Château is only open to visitors on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., from April 5th to November 2nd 2025 (the interior of the Château is closed to the public in July and August whilst the family are in residence).
Guided tours of the Château, through online reservation, take place every hour from 2:30 p.m to 5:30 p.m. The visits last approximately 50 minutes. The guided tour starts in front of the Château gates; you should therefore arrive at the ticket office at least 15minutes before in order to make your way from there to the Château in time for the visit.
The Domaine de Courances is currently closed.
Season 2025: from Saturday 5 April to Sunday 2 November
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