Located on the banks of the Loiret, Château du Rondon was built in the centre between 1650 and 1652, then between 1655 and 1656 by the Mayor of Orléans, Robert Boliève. At the time, it was a simple plot of land with vineyard houses. Only the central building was built. His family lived there for a century.
In the mid-18th century, the gardens of the château were designed. The gardens are attributed to André LE NOTRE, Louis XIV's famous gardener. There is no certainty as to who this gardener was. What's more, the gardens have been redesigned to such an extent that today's garden bears little resemblance to the original.
In 1804, Louis-Auguste PILTE-GRENET, an alcohol manufacturer, became the owner. This was a great period for the château. The owner bought paintings, antique sculptures and railings from the Château de Richelieu, which had been dismantled as a result of the French Revolution. All that remains today are the gates at Le Rondon, which are listed as Historic Monuments. The busts have been in the Château de Chamerolles for several decades, a bust is in the Louvres museum, and the paintings were donated to the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Orléans.
Legend has it that TALLEYRAND, Emperor BONAPARTE's minister, spent several nights at Le Rondon.
The Loiret department then bought it and renovated it to accommodate Rwandan refugee children, who were then suffering from genocide. A few years later, the château was unoccupied and fell into disuse.
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