Château de la Bussière

East of the Loiret department and already in Puisaye, you will perhaps be surprised to discover the Château de la Bussière and its astonishing fishing museum. Its remarkable collection of objects techniques, artwork and popular traditions, will fill you in on our ancestors’ fishing techniques, over the centuries and around the world. An entire universe will take shape before your eyes as you visit the furnished rooms of this family castle.

The first traces of the Château de la Bussière date back to the 12^th century. At that time, la Bussière was a fortified castle with its ramparts, moats and drawbridge. During the 17^th century, following the depredations occasioned by the Wars of Religion, seigneur Jean II du Tillet undertook large-scale renovation that modified the configuration of the site; the fortified castle was converted into a recreational manor house.

In 1814 the Château de la Bussière was acquired by a one-time musketeer, Gabriel de Chasseval, who transformed it into a residence amenable to the activities of daily life. Having remained the property of the same family, today’s château is uninhabited but furnished; as a visitor you will discover the atmosphere of a family home, with fifteen rooms open for visitors.

In fact, it was in 1962 that Henri de Chasseval decided to open the building for visits.  A chief inspector of Musées de France who had been instrumental to the creation of a hunting museum in Gien, Pierre-Henri Duchartre, proposed exhibiting of a collection of fishing objects, at the interior of this castle set on a 6 hectare pond.

The museum presents a remarkable collection of objects and artwork illustrating the different fishing techniques appliedf rom prehistoric times to the present day, without forgetting an exceptional specimen coelacanth, prehistoric fish from the origin of mammals.

The exterior of the castle is conducive to pleasurable strolls; beneath the Château de la Bussière, you can visit the 18^th-century planted with old vegetables, roses, perennials, trees espalier fruit trees, aromatic plants, etc. Exiting from the garden, you can follow the pathway that will lead you under century-old box trees to search for the nearby cabins and their riddle: Mystery in La Bussière, who has stolen the keys to the castle? Your exploration will finally lead you to the park designed by Le Nôtre and more recently redesigned, in the early 20^th century, by Edouard André. You can also take a boat trip on the pond or test your team spirit in the escape game!