Château d'Outrelaize, Historical monument castle in Gouvix, France.

Château d'Outrelaize stands in Gouvix, Calvados, on a site built up from 1584 to 1604 for Gaspard Le Marchant. Its pale stone central pavilion, three bays wide with round-arched openings at the base, rises under a steep slate roof with three dormers and a domed lantern with a spire. The long wing of 1604 recalls the Place des Vosges in Paris; a lower cream-stone wing and an entrance pavilion with two wings and a dovecote complete the ensemble.

The castle arose when attorney general Gaspard Le Marchant purchased the Outrelaize lands in 1569 and began construction in 1584. The completion of the main wing around 1604 reflected the wealth and political standing of his family.

The park was laid out as a French garden in the 18th century, then replaced between 1822 and 1827 by an English-style landscape park for Countess Héracle de Polignac under Charles X. Its listed features include a planted approach avenue, an obelisk in the forest with eight radiating alleys, retaining walls, bridges, an artificial grotto, waterworks with a basin, and a washhouse.

Comfortable footwear is recommended since pathways through the park are uneven and include several steps. It is advisable to check opening hours beforehand, as the castle is not open to visitors every day.

The 2005 listing covers the whole park, including a planted approach avenue, an obelisk in the woods and eight radiating alleys. It also names the retaining walls, bridges, artificial grotto and the water features, among them a pond and a wash-house.