Discovery of our region rich in history

● Sancerre rocky peak overlooking the Loire

During the Carolingian era, a small village on the hillside, grouped around the Saint-Rombre church, would have been named Saint-Cère. It would have become Sancerre by popular distortion. In the 13th century, Étienne de Champagne, first Count of Sancerre built a fortified castle at the highest point of the hill. Upper town was then synonymous with security and protection. He then fortified the city with a thick wall. The latter played a preponderant role in the Middle Ages. Sancerre the impregnable, monitoring the Loire was born.

One of the most beautiful villages in France

Many events have marked the history of Sancerre from the 12th century to the end of the 18th century; The Hundred Years' War, the Wars of Religion, the memorable seven-month siege in 1573 of the city which became Huguenot (from January 13 to August 19) or even the royalist uprising known as "La petite Vendée Sancerroise" during the Revolution. During this period, Sancerre was nothing more than a humiliated city. It then lost its strategic importance and had to submit to the laws of the State despite its rebellious character. Today, Sancerre remains an essential place with timeless charm.

The singularity of its medieval, narrow and picturesque streets, but also its unique setting make it one of the most beautiful villages in France, the favorite village of the French 2021 and a real Small City of Character...

● Guédelon castle

In the heart of Puisaye, in Yonne, in Burgundy, around forty workers are taking on an extraordinary challenge: building a fortified castle today using the techniques and materials used in the Middle Ages.

● The Briare canal bridge

The Briare Canal was opened to navigation in 1642, after 40 years of work. It is resolutely punctuated with remarkable works of art. Its canal bridge is a jewel of French river heritage, built in particular by the Eiffel company between 1890 and 1896. Taking this large avenue of water lined with pilasters and lampposts obviously triggers a ""wow"" effect.

The fame of the Briare aqueduct comes from the technical, human and aesthetic prowess of the construction engineers. This ambitious project imagined by Sully during the reign of Henri IV aimed to connect the Loire and Seine basins by a canal. The mission of the aqueduct was to span the Loire to allow barges to directly connect the Berry Canal and the Loire Lateral Canal with the Briare Canal, and thus connect the Saône and Seine basins. It was necessary to dig around fifteen reservoir ponds and their supply channels, and build numerous stone locks. Without forgetting the bridges, levees, towpaths, weirs. No fewer than 12,000 workers took part in digging the canal!

The construction of the aqueduct considerably facilitated the transport of goods for boats which, until then, had to make a perilous crossing of the Loire via a dammed channel one kilometer long across the river, between the Mantelot locks ( left bank) and Combles (right bank).

The Briare canal bridge, among the largest in the world

The result is commensurate with the ambitions and the means implemented: no less than 662 meters long...

● Buranlur Castle is only 1 km from the estate.

Located in the heart of the County of Sancerre, the small fortified place of Buranlure vividly evokes the tumults of history. An exceptional witness to the Hundred Years' War and the Wars of Religion in Haut-Berry, this site steeped in history still resonates with echoes of the past.

● Charité sur Loire

Believer or atheist, you have to see La Charité-sur-Loire with your eyes but also with your heart... Let's cross the stone bridge, built in 1520, since 2018 it has found a new lease of life. On the footbridge, take a look at the quay on the left: an opening, that of the "window" which collected the tolls relating to transport on the river. Let's now enter the city, more easily than Joan of Arc ...she had to give up taking this fortified place in 1429 in the face of the formidable mercenary Perinnet-Gressard, who also has his tower among the city ramparts. Rue du Pont, rue des Chapelains, Place des Pêcheurs, the lower town has not really changed, its old houses with its alleys where it is so pleasant to get lost. A district full of mysteries and surprises that you will have to discover... In any case, don't miss the 84 steps, the Mariniers chapel or even the rue du Grenier à Sel, all of this is worth the detour.

● Aubigny sur nere

During the Hundred Years' War which opposed the kingdoms of France and England, the town was given by King Charles VII to John Stuart of Darnley, cousin of the King of Scotland. This great lord commanded the Scottish army which came to rescue the unfortunate Charles VII who was in a very bad position against the English after the defeat at Agincourt.

The descendants of Jean Stuart de Darnley and d'Aubigny retained their stronghold of Aubigny until 1672, the year when their line died out.

The dynasty of the Stuarts of Aubigny experienced its greatest glory during the Italian wars. Kings Charles VIII, then Louis XII, entrusted command of their armies to Béraud and Robert Stuart, 4th and 5th lords of Aubigny, who set out to conquer the peninsula.

The Renaissance style of the Aubigny and Verrerie castles bears witness to the imprint left by the Italian adventure on their builders.

It is also to the Stuarts of Aubigny that we owe the half-timbered architecture of the superb houses in the town centre, built after the fire which destroyed the town in 1512.

Also discover Pouilly sur Loire and its wine tourism tower, the castle of Saint Fargeau, Bourges...

● For the more sporty we are located 1 km from the Loire by bike and we lend two mountain bikes

● You also have canoeing in Saint Satur

● the cyclorail in Cosne sur Loire and magnificent hikes around the vineyards

● the Sancerre golf course

● paragliding, karting, walks in the Bertranges forest, lung of the Nièvre .