Château des Réaux, Renaissance castle in Chouzé-sur-Loire, France

Château des Réaux is a castle on an island site enclosed by a wide water-filled ditch, a remnant of its fortified past. Its facade mixes light and darker stone blocks in a checkerboard pattern, with a steep slate roof, dormers, and a round tower with a conical roof at each end. The present building was constructed in the 16th century for Jean Briçonnet on the site of an older ruined fort.

In the 15th century, Jean Briçonnet, Tours' first mayor, acquired the ruins and rebuilt the castle on the site of an earlier fortified structure. In 1650, writer Tallemant des Réaux purchased the property and gave it his family name.

Since 2007 the castle has housed a permanent gallery titled "Legs of men and women in the Art of the third millennium", with 760 paintings by 530 painters from over 40 countries, chosen through an international competition held for the castle's sixth centenary. The Mazarine Academy awarded it a diploma for merit and dedication to the arts. Visits, including guided tours, run all year.

The castle stands on an island enclosed by a wide water-filled ditch, a remnant of the former fortified site. The permanent gallery of 760 paintings by 530 artists from over 40 countries can be visited individually or in guided groups all year round. The building has been listed as a historic monument since 1930.

The gallery inside the castle holds 760 paintings by 530 painters from more than 40 countries, chosen through an international competition launched in 2007 for the building's sixth centenary. All the works take legs as their subject, sorted into four categories, among them a humorous look at contemporary legs. The Mazarine Academy awarded the gallery a diploma for merit and dedication to the arts.