In the French department of Dordogne (southwest of the country), not far from the town of Vezac, among the Perigord hills, there is a uniquely beautiful corner that does not leave indifferent anyone who was lucky enough to be there – the hanging gardens of Marquessac.
This place, created by people over the years and surrounded by picturesque French villages, has long attracted tourists from all over the world who want to be at least for a while in the middle of a man-made miracle of nature and enjoy the skill of local gardeners who created a bizarre landscape around an ancient castle standing on a hill. Hanging gardens are called because they are planted around it with terraces, from afar it seems that they hang from the mountain.
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History of the gardens of Marquessac
The history of the appearance of gardens dates back to the beginning of the 17th century. Then a nobleman named Bertrand Vernet de Marquessac, who served as an adviser to the royal court of Louis XIV, ordered a park to be built around his castle. To do this, he invited a student of the famous landscape designer of that time (that, of course, gardeners were not called at that time) Andre Le Notre, the founder of the regular French park system, who worked on the gardens of Versailles.
Initially, the gardens of Marquessac were laid out in accordance with the then classical style, but glorified them throughout the world, turning them into what can be seen now, another owner of the estate, who inherited it in 1861, Sarlat Julien de Serval. He was a judge from a nearby town, passionately fond of crop production.
In his younger years, he served in Italy, was fascinated by the nature of this country and tried to plant boxwoods, pines, cypresses, cyclamens and other plants characteristic of the Mediterranean climate on French soil, which he succeeded in full. Each bush was cut in the most careful way, and in such a way as to repeat the relief of the surrounding area.
Serval worked on the garden for the rest of his life – 30 years. It was then that the garden got the look that everyone admires today. True, in the 20th century the park experienced hard times: it was little looked after and it fell into disrepair. The descendants of the judge decided to put the gardens in order only at the end of the century: in 1996, Kleber Rossillon undertook this.
It took the great-great-great-grandson of Serval 3 years to restore the park to its former beauty, although he opened the park for tourists already in 1997 and only in the first year of operation it was visited by about 200 thousand people, and now the number of visitors is estimated at approximately 140 thousand in year.
Rossillon tried to accurately reproduce the garden that his ancestor conceived and brought to life. For this, old photographs were carefully studied, and now, according to experts, boxwood bushes have exactly the same shape as they had under Serval. The gardens of Marquessac today are rightfully considered one of the most beautiful and picturesque in all of France.
The gardens of the castle of Marquessac at present
Now the gardens of Marquessac are a 6-kilometer labyrinth of 150,000 hundred-year-old boxwood shrubs, trimmed by hand in the most bizarre way. They form the backbone of the park. Boxwood is a plant that lives for about 500 years, it grows very slowly, so it is easily decorated, allowing you to create the most unusual shapes. Tourists call them “green lambs”.
Trees of other species also grow here: cypresses, strawberry trees, junipers, pines, oaks. Walking through the park, you can hide in gazebos covered with greenery, enjoy the coolness near artificially created waterfalls. For those who want to dine in the bosom of nature, there are picnic areas, you can just sit on benches carved into the rock, located in quiet secluded places. Children will not be bored either – they can always have fun on the playgrounds.
What to see in the gardens of the castle of Marquessac
There are no places closed for tourists in the park: you can walk everywhere – along the boxwood labyrinth, the embankment, the main alley, which is a half-kilometer tunnel of plants. In the southern part of the garden, where the air is drier, evergreen oaks and rock maples grow predominantly. Field maples and hornbeams are planted on the wetter northern slope of the hill. Tablets and signs are placed everywhere, from which an inquisitive tourist can get more detailed information about plants.
The alleys pass by a pigeon house, where birds of the rarest breeds of this species live, peacocks will be seen importantly walking around everywhere along the way. In the “Pavilion of Nature” you can see an exhibition of dioramas created in the 19th century.
Shady alleys lead to the observation deck of the castle, which offers a stunning view of the Dordogne valley from a height of 800 m – the river itself, villages, fields and meadows. This is the central place where all excursions end (3 routes are offered to tourists). The castle itself is built of stone tiles and limestone, which gives it a special old French charm. It has not been rebuilt since its construction, and some of its characteristics are simply amazing: for example, the weight of the old roof of the castle is more than 500 tons.
The park is also open in the evening. This is the time for true romantics: the garden is illuminated by numerous lamps installed under almost every bush. In addition, candles are lit (there are approximately 2000 of them), which gives the garden a truly magical look. Evening excursions (they are called “Marquessac by candlelight”) will also appeal to those who do not like the heat: travelers enjoy a pleasant coolness in the summer nights in the gardens.
However, they do not take place every day, but only on Thursdays in July and August from 19 to 24.00. These days, classical music plays in the park, and animators entertain children. For the smallest, a training course has even been developed: the kids receive initial information about nature and its inhabitants.
When are the gardens open
The park welcomes guests all year round. In July and August, the gardens of the castle of Marquessac are open to the public from 9 to 20.00 (on Thursdays – until 24.00). The opening hours of the park in April – June and September – from 10.00 to 19.00, in February-March and October-November (until the 11th day) – from 10.00 to 18.00, from November 12 to January 31 – from 14.00 to 17.00.
Adults will have to pay €7.8 for a ticket, a ticket for children and teenagers 10-18 years old costs half the price (€3.9), for children under 10 years old admission is free. Candlelight Marquessac evenings cost €13 for adults and €6.50 for children.
The best time to visit the gardens of Marquessac, according to the reviews of numerous travelers, is from August to October. This is the time of flowering of Italian cyclamens – the most beautiful period in the region, at this time the gardens look really unforgettable: the ground seems to be covered with a colorful carpet.
It is interesting that only four people look after the garden, but they do an excellent job of ensuring that the park delights all visitors, young and old.
How to get there
You can get to the place on your own – in a rented car. There are also regular bus services from Bordeaux and Toulouse. For those who prefer to travel in the company of like-minded people, bus tours are organized from the same cities. Marquessac Gardens is one of the most visited places in France.
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Use the services of kiwitaxi and at the airport, at the specified time, the driver will be waiting for you, help with luggage and promptly take you to the hotel. Several classes of cars are available – from economy to Minibus with 19 seats. The price is fixed and does not depend on the number of passengers and the address within Bordeaux. Taxi from / to the airport is a convenient and comfortable way to get to the right place.