Vaux le Vicomte
Vaux le Vicomte is a baroque castle, near Melun, approx 50km southeast of Paris.
General impressions:
Vaux le Vicomte went straight to number one in our castle collection, mostly due the unique and intriguing history behind it.
Nicolas Fouquet, marquis de Belle-Île, vicomte de Melun et Vaux was the Superintendent of Finances in France under Louis XIV. When Cardinal Mazarin appointed Nicolas Fouquet as financial secretary in 1653, the collapse of the State Treasury was still causing great problems for France, and Fouquet was appointed to refill the empty Crown Treasury, which indeed he managed to do. Fouquet had already risen rapidly, and in 1641, at the age of 26, he had been able to buy the estate of Vaux-le-Vicomte, thus having been a rapidly rising shining star amongst the officiers. Nicolas Fouquet’s great and rapid success was due to his matchless intelligence and unparalleled daring. To these gifts of a sparkling and winning personality were added abundant generosity, a lively manner and great charms.
The château was lavish, refined, and dazzling to behold, but these characteristics proved tragic for its owner: the king had Fouquet arrested shortly after a famous fête that took place on 17 August 1661 where Molière’s play ‘Les Fâcheux’ debuted.The celebration had been too impressive and the superintendent’s home too luxurious. Fouquet’s intentions were to flatter the King: part of Vaux-le-Vicomte was actually constructed specifically for the king, but Fouquet’s plan backfired. Jean-Baptiste Colbert led the king to believe that his minister’s magnificence was funded by the misappropriation of public funds. After Fouquet was arrested and imprisoned for life, and his wife exiled, Vaux-le-Vicomte was placed under sequestration. The king seized, confiscated or purchased 120 tapestries, the statues, and all the orange trees from Vaux-le-Vicomte. He then sent the team of artists (Le Vau, Le Nôtre and Le Brun) to design what would be a much larger project than Vaux-le-Vicomte, the palace and gardens of Versailles.
The castle’s rooms are beautifully decorated; along the tour, in some of the Estate apartments and the basement you’ll get a chance to see an exhibition which brings back to life the most important moments of Nicolas Fouquet’s life, with the help of a neat production, using wax models, period costumes and surprising special effects — see video below:
There’s a great panoramic view from the castle’s Dome; a few narrow stairs, but you shouldn’t miss it. The inside wooden structure of the dome is also quite interesting.
How to get there:
- take the train from Gare de Lyon, half an hour trip to Melun station.
- from Melun there’s a shuttle bus taking you directly to the castle. One way ticket: 3,5€ per person or 7€ round trip. Departure Melun Station, avenue Gallieni in front of the “café de la gare”.
- see shuttle bus schedule here
Gallery:
