Château de Grosbois, castle in Marolles-en-Brie, France
Château de Grosbois is a large country house with tall brick and stone walls, high roofs, and formal gardens in Marolles-en-Brie. The central building has two matching wings, a curved front section, and an ironwork gate opening onto a courtyard with old trees and ponds.
The original building dates from the late 16th century, when a wealthy family replaced an older structure on the same spot. In the early 1800s it belonged to Marshal Berthier, a close aide of Napoleon, who added the Gallery of Battles and hosted large hunts on the surrounding land.
Inside the château, the Battle Gallery displays large paintings and busts that show how French military leaders wanted to be remembered. Today visitors walk slowly through this room to look at faces and uniforms from another time, often pausing before the scenes of Napoleonic battles.
Wear comfortable shoes because the park and gardens cover open ground that takes time to cross on foot. The estate is near Paris and easy to reach for a day visit, but much of the space is used for horse training, so keep to marked paths.
Since 1962, a large part of the estate has been a top training ground for trotting racehorses, with dozens of stables and tracks hidden among the woods. Visitors can also find a museum about trot racing inside one wing, full of old photos and objects from this sport.
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