Château de Rouville, Renaissance castle in Le Malesherbois, France.
Château de Rouville is a castle with four distinct towers and Renaissance Revival design in Le Malesherbois. The facades are lined with multiple windows that frame views toward the Essonne valley and surrounding woodland, and the structure was built upon older medieval foundations.
The castle was built in 1492 by Hector de Boissy, pantry master to King Charles VIII, atop a 9th-century fortress. A major renovation in the 19th century brought architectural additions and interior elements from other estates into the building.
The name reflects the family that first shaped this land, and its design bridges Renaissance ideals with local heritage. Interior woodwork from nearby estates was incorporated by successive owners, creating a patchwork of craftsmanship from different periods.
The GR 655 hiking trail, which follows the Via Turonensis pilgrim route, passes near the castle and offers a natural way to explore the wider area. You can best enjoy the views toward the valley and forests during clear weather, when the windows of the building frame the landscape most clearly.
An ice house beneath the castle stored blocks of ice that were cut from the frozen Essonne River during winter months. This early method of food preservation reveals the practical innovations that residents developed before the age of mechanical refrigeration.
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