Chateau de Marqueyssac

The Château de Marqueyssac is a 17th century chateau and gardens located at Vézac, in the Dordogne.

It was built in the 17th century by Bertrand Vernet de Marqueyssac, Counselor to Louis XIV.

Located on the on cliffs overlooking the Dordogne Valley it is known for its gardens, but we found on our 2011 visit that it is a great location for walking along the trails. Lots of elevation changes so while we are not talking about mountain climbing, this is not someplace someone short of breath would do very well.

Between 1830 and 1840, Julien Bessières constructed a chapel and a grand alley one hundred meters long for horseback rides. In the 1860s, the new owner, Julien de Cervel, began to plant thousands of boxwood trees - today there are over 150,000 - and had them carved in fantastic shapes, many in groups of rounded shapes like flocks of sheep. He also added linden trees, cypress trees, and stone pine from Italy, and introduced the cyclamen from Naples. There are five kilometers of waling trails.

After a period where everything fell into decay, in 1996 the gardens were restored.