Château de Balleroy in the little town of Balleroy, Normandy, France
Some background information:
Château de Balleroy is a mansion in the little town of Balleroy in the Norman-French department of Calvados. It is located about 15 km (9 miles) to the south-west of the town of Bayeux. The main building, the outbuildings and the grounds are the first preserved work of the French architect François Mansart, constructed in the classical baroque style, sometimes referred to as 17th-century French art. After being completed, the whole estate served as a model for the Palace of Versailles.
But Balleroy is also one of the earliest French examples of urbanism, as the little town of Balleroy was just located by François Mansart to the north-east of the stately home for the supply of the residents of the castle. To this day, the commune of Balleroy has not more than 1,000 residents yet. Its very slow growth is possibly the reason, why François Mansart’s urban layout is still clearly visible there.
In 1600, Jean I de Choisy, who was the son of a plain wine merchant, but had worked his way up to become royal adviser and later even French chancellor, bought the seigneury Balleroy from the Marquis d’O. But it was not till 1626, when his son Jean II de Choisy and his wife Olympe de Bellesbat tasked the ambitious young architect François Mansart with the plan for a château and a settlement to supply its residents. In 1637, the construction work was finished. However the builder-owner’s profession as chancellor of the French king’s brother implicated that for the most time he and his wife occupied Palais du Luxembourg in Paris.
After Jean II de Choisy’s death, his wife had to leave the royal court. When moving to Balleroy, she used the precious interior fittings of the family’s Paris residences to furnish the mansion. In 1700, after the noble family de Choisy had died out, the estate was sold to Françoise de Barancas, Princesse d’Harcourt. But already one year later, the French chancellor Jacques de la Cour bought it off her. In 1704, Balleroy was made marquisate.
During the French Revolution, the property was seized, but in 1795, countess d’Hervilly, the sister of the estate’s last owner, bought it back for her family. Until 1806, she shared Balleroy with her brother, the fourth Marquis de Balleroy. In 1816, he had to sell the castle to the Marquis de La Loude, mayor of Versailles, but not without reserving a repurchase option for his family. In 1827, the family de la Cour made use of this repurchase option.
In 1944, during the Battle of Normandy, the château was damaged, but not very heavily. In 1951, the whole grounds became a French national historic monument (Monument historique), together with the attached parish church of Saint-Martin from the year 1650.
In 1970, Myriam de la Cour, sold the estate to Malcolm Forbes, the American print media tycoon, who bigged the business magazine "Forbes", founded by his father, up and made it extremely successful. He commissioned the restoration of the estate and furnished some of the rooms in the style of the 19th century. Forbes, who was an enthusiastic balloonist and often spent the summer months at Balleroy, founded a captive balloon museum in one of the former outbuildings, which opened its doors for visitors in 1975. Until his death in 1990, the estate also served as the venue of an international captive balloon festival. Forbes also used to welcome illustrious guests at Balleroy, e.g. his female friend Elizabeth Taylor.
Today, Château de Balleroy is in possession of a foundation, managed by Forbes’ sons. Although they still occupy the mansion occasionally, its interior can be visited within guided tours. Worth seeing as well are the captive balloon museum and the beautiful château park.