Château de Balzac, Medieval castle north of Angoulême, France

The Château de Balzac stands above the Charente in Balzac, Charente. Its 17th-century core has a steep slate roof with two chimneys and a dormer, tall windows with white shutters, and a lower wing with a red tiled roof and a square tower. In the 18th century three new facades were added around the square courtyard, creating a corridor where rooms once opened into one another. The kitchen, installed in a former chapel, keeps its stoup, a large fireplace, a potager and a stone sink.

Guillaume Guez, mayor of Angoulême and treasurer of the wars in Angoumois, bought the seigneurie of Balzac and enlarged the logis around 1600. His son, the writer Jean-Louis Guez de Balzac, lived here until 1612. In 1619 Marie de Médicis stayed six months, and a first reconciliation between Louis XIII and his mother was negotiated here with Richelieu before the Battle of Ponts-de-Cé. The descendants sold the lands in 1729.

The name comes from the writer Jean-Louis Guez de Balzac, who lived here and shaped French language through his works. Visitors can see the rooms where this scholar worked and received notable figures.

Visitors should use guided tours to fully explore the chapel, kitchens, and decorated rooms. It is best to check in advance when tours are offered, as entry is limited to these scheduled times.

The castle's kitchen occupies what was once a chapel and still keeps the stoup, a large fireplace, a potager and a stone sink. The dining room and drawing room added in the 18th century have curved woodwork that rounds off the room's corners, with concave cupboard doors.