Located in the heart of an old private park where flourished from the XVIIIe century an important cloth factory, the Balsan Park is today an essential place to walk in Châteauroux at the edge of theIndre.
His history
XVIe century, the last lord of Déols died without a male heir. The seigneury of Châteauroux was then divided between two minor branches of the family. THE La Tour Landry inherit the part of the city on which the Château Raoul is built. THE D'Aumont are less fortunate. Their plot being devoid of a place of representation of power, they decided to erect their own castle, on the banks of the Indre, just a few hundred meters from the Raoul castle. The one we call today tower castle thus saw the light of day at the heart of what became in the XNUMXe century, Balsan Park. The very beautiful Tour d'Aumont from the Renaissance period, listed as a Historic Monument, still arouses the admiration of walkers today.
Two centuries later, the seigniory was bought in its entirety by the Bourbon-Conde. The latter prefer to settle in Château Tour rather than Château Raoul, which is older and therefore more dilapidated. Claire-Clemence de Maille-Brézé, the wife of the Grand Condé, exiled in Castelroussines lands, spent the last twenty years of her life between the two castles, with a ban on venturing any further.
In this timeless natural space, the tower castle and castle river constitute a historical architectural ensemble commonly called Balsan castles.
We owe the architect Alfred Dauvergne (1824-1885) the construction of the Balsan factory over 60 m² as well as the Balsan castle in its current form, in neo-Gothic style and overall development of the park. Since 000, the park has been owned by the City, which carried out a fine rehabilitation in 1988.
The environment is privileged, with the banks of the Indre on one side and a protected landscaped park on the other. On the other side of it, the old factory now houses the ecocampus, the castelroussin university campus.
Can the castles be visited?
The Tour castle and the River castle now housing rental accommodation, they are not open to visitors.
Is the park open to the public?
Balsan Park is open to the public all year round.
Access
Also discover
From the Ebbes Valley to the Cordeliers convent, from the Raoul castle to the Bertrand museum, find all the places not to be missed during your stay in Châteauroux.
