Centre des monuments nationaux

Come and discover the château of Champs-sur-Marne located 18km to the east of Paris and one of the finest examples of neo-classical architecture in the Île-de-France region. Its rococo decoration and rich furniture bring back to life the refined setting of Enlightenment country houses.

Visiting the château of Champs-sur-Marne 

• An archetypal French country house. Between 1703 and 1707, architect Pierre Bullet and his son Jean-Baptiste Bullet de Chamblain devised a rectangular layout with light and airy independent rooms that was cited as an example in several architectural treatises.

• Refined decoration. The wainscoting in the boudoir and the Chinese drawing room were painted by Christophe Huet around 1750. The furniture was made by the greatest 18th-century French cabinetmakers. 

• Huge gardens. The classical gardens are set within English-style grounds. There is an outstanding perspective stretching out 900 metres down to the river Marne.

Understanding the château of Champs-sur-Marne 

• Exemplary restoration. Between 1895 and 1922 the rich financier Louis Cahen d'Anvers restored and refurnished the château. The restoration of the gardens was entrusted to the garden designers Henri and Achille Duchêne, who recreated several of the gardens originally designed by Le Nôtre. 

• Famous guests. The Marquise de Pompadour rented the château in 1757. Diderot, d'Alembert, Voltaire, Chateaubriand and Marcel Proust were all guests here. 

• A film set. 80 films have used the château including Stephen Frears' Dangerous Liaisons in 1987 and Sofia Coppola's Marie-Antoinette in 2005.