The Castle of the Sleeping Beauty

Author - Aneta Nedyalkova -

A dear friend once called me a ‘Thing Finder’, just like Pippi Longstocking. It looks like I am, and it looks like I like it that way :)

So let me tell what I found the other day. The Castle of the Sleeping Beauty. I knew it was somewhere here, but I must admit I knew nothing about the castle itself. Now I’ve learned it’s secrets.

They call it The Castle of the Sleeping Beauty because its architecture and location - hidden at the foot of a forest hill - has inspired Charles Perrault to write the famous tale, whose original title is actually "La Belle au Bois Dormant" - The Sleeping Forest Beauty. The Château d'Ussé and its chapel, named after Sainte Anna, were built more than 500 years ago. At the entrance of the castle, a sign informs curious visitors that its owner, the grandson of Duc de Blacas, still lives there. The family has owned the castle for over two centuries and is dedicated to continually restoring it, day after day, month after month, year after year.  A myriad of specialists are involved in the restorations, and the works are supported by entrance fees and donations. Each and every one of the castle’s nooks and crannies are painstakingly brought to their former glory.. In a short video, screening in one of the stone cellars, we meet a sculptor who has spent the last 15 years restoring the facades and their ornaments and a master roofer who shares that people come and go, yet the castle remains and they have an obligation to care for it ...

The beautiful park is designed by the emblematic French gardener Le Nôtre. Take a stroll down stunning floral alleys à la française and you’ll also encounter the two century old oaks, a gift by Chateaubriand to the then lady of the castle, dating back to 1808. (We’ll leave the story of the parade meal of Chateaubriand  for another time :)).

You can also visit the old cellars and stables of the castle, before finally entering the castle itself. And there ... there you go back in time and actually enter the fairy tale. You are climbing to the top of the Tower up a narrow stone staircase. In small rooms, behind glass, moments of the fairy tale are imaginatively recreated. You find yourself in an old attic, supported by wooden beams and full of cobwebs, filled with a treasure of antiques. A papyrus scripture tells you that the attics of castles are those places that hide secrets, mysteries, treasures ... And then, after experiencing the Tower, where the Prince has awakened his Beauty, you walk down the castle's halls.

Only a few halls have been restored where original furniture, personal belongings and artworks are displayed. Exhibitions are held periodically in some of the rooms as well. This season there is an expo of 18th-century velvet dresses, absolutely beautiful and exquisite. The castle is like a time machine - you forget about the present and for a brief moment find yourself into an ancient fairytale world ...