Château-musée de Gien

Overlooking the town of Gien and the Loire river, the Château de Gien was built at the end of the 15^th century at the request of Anne de Beaujeu. It was erected on the site of an ancient medieval fort of which all that remains is the “Joan of Arc” tower, constructed in the late 14^th century and owing its name to the saint’s once having been in the castle.

In 1481, Louis XI awarded Anne de Beaujeu, his daughter, the county of Gien on the occasion of her marriage to Pierre de Beaujeu. She left her imprint on  the town by launching numerous projects, including château reconstruction (1482), in which local materials were privileged: hewn stone (regional limestone rock) as well as brick, an inexpensive local material and major decorative feature. A defensive medieval aspect gave way to decorative architecture and Renaissance comfort. Alternating reds and blacks rendered visible on the façade facing the courtyard a number of distinct motifs (rhombus, 6 star…) of which the meanings continue to raise a number of questions. Sculptures such as that of a Melusine and a boar are also visible.

Aside from the decorative aspect, the interior design reflects the coziness of residences with their heating chambers, their indoor shutters (with which windows were “draftproofed”), their window seats and their large arched windows allowing light to enter. Pleasure took precedence over practical necessities. When Anne de Beaujeu died (1522), the Château de Gien reverted to the crown.  Prestigious sojourners included François I, Catherine of Medici, Charles IX and Louis XIV, along with his court.

In 1823, purchased by the Loiret departmental council, the château became the site of a sub-prefecture, a tribunal and a prison. Modifications were carried out; while some openings areas were opened up, others were closed down, and to meet the needs of the prison, a new building was erected between the church and the château.

Since 1952, the château has been serving as a setting for the hunting museum created by Pierre-Louis Duchartre and Henri de Linarès. After four years of restoration, it was a museum reconceived according to the principles of modern museography that reopened in 2017.  Highly diversified collections presented the different hunting techniques applied in the Loire valley:  game bird hunting, fox hunting or venery and, finally, shooting. The Château-musée de Gien  places hunting as a pastome in the heart of the Loire valley.