Domaine du Château d'Ecouen, actuellement musée de la Renaissance

English translation

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History

Building of Renaissance style constructed between 1538 and 1555 for the Constable Anne de Montmorency by Jean Bullant. The sculptures are due to Jean Goujon. The quadrilateral of the castle was, in its north-east angle, bordered by an enclosed garden. The retaining wall of the access terrace retains the trace of a niche belonging to the south wall of this enclosed garden. The latter no longer exists, at least since the end of the 17th century. The grotto was commissioned by the Constable from Bernard Palissy in 1556, but it was not completed. In the 19th century, chroniclers situated it near the Fontaine Madame. Between the end of the 18th century and 1709, when the property belonged to the son of Condé, Jules Hardouin Mansart designed a park whose current state is the heir to. The landscape architect articulated the park around two perpendicular axes that cross in front of the west façade of the castle, and are emphasized by an alignment of trees. A few avenues end in belvederes and are articulated around roundabouts. A terrace laid out in front of the west façade is furnished with a grassed parterre, divided into three. In its extension, towards the north, an open area opens the park towards the village. An avenue bordered by a double row of trees offers the castle a triumphal access. The ancient hydraulic arrangements have disappeared. A plan of 1894 shows late landscape arrangements, such as the jeu de paume and the ballroom. The Fontaine Hortense constitutes the principal arrangement of the 19th century, raised by Eugène de Beauharnais.