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HOW TO VISIT THE DESERT DE RETZ
The Désert de Retz is open to visitors every day except Sunday, from April to October inclusive.
All tours are led by a guide, there is no free entry. Visits to the Désert de Retz are by reservation only, except for European Heritage Days, when entry is unrestricted.
The reservation for an individual visit or group tour should be made with the Cultural Affairs Office of the town hall of Chambourcy [+33 1 39 22 31 37] or by e-mail: desertderetz@chambourcy.fr.
The booking period is open from 1 February. The reservation is effective only after payment of the entry fee by check in Euros payable to "Trésor Public".
Entrance fees are €10 per adult [age 16 and up], €5 for children [8-16 years] for visits led by volunteer guides from the association "Le Désert de Retz Jardin des Lumières.”
The tourist offices in Saint-Germain-en-Laye [+33 1 34 51 05 12], Marly-le-Roi [+33 (0)1 30 61 61 35] and Poissy [+33 1 30 74 60 65] also conduct visits to the Désert de Retz.
Visits by individuals are held on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month during the opening of the Desert; departures are at 14:00, 14:30 and 15:00. The rendezvous point is located at the panorama overlook in front of the Chambourcy cemetery. The vehicles then travel by car pool, directly to the site.
Visits by groups can take place every day except Sundays and the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month. Coaches can go to the end of the Allée Frédéric Passy where they deposit their passengers. They can not park on site but must return to the parking area at the panorama overlook in Chambourcy and then return to the site at the end of the visit to retrieve the groups.
In case of cancellation [high wind or heavy rain ...] tickets remain valid for a later date to be determined with the Cultural Affairs Office.
Mairie de Chambourcy
Hotel de Ville
Place Charles de Gaulle
78240 Chambourcy
Mairie de Chambourcy
You can contribute to the restoration and preservation of the Desert de Retz by joining Le Désert de Retz Jardin des Lumières, a non-profit association founded in 2009. Download a Membership Application or contact the association's President, .
Scholars or researchers may also wish to contact the previous owners of the Desert de Retz, Jean-Marc Heftler-Louiche and Olivier Choppin de Janvry, or Pierre-Emile Renard, president of Histoire de Chambourcy de Retz et d'Aigrement (HISCREA).
Mr. Jean-Marc Heftler-Louiche
14, rue Saint-Guillaume
75007 Paris, France
Mr. Olivier Choppin de Janvry
6Bis, Grande Rue
78290 Croissy-sur-Seine, France
Histoire de Chambourcy de Retz et d'Aigrement (HISCREA)
30, rue de Gramont
78240 Chambourcy, France
Tel/fax: 01 30 74 47 51
President: Mr. Pierre-Emile Renard
4, rue Georges Thill, 78240 Chambourcy
In addition to the Desert de Retz, you can visit the other folly gardens in and near Paris that are described in the table below. For additional information on these and other gardens in the Paris region, consult Les Jardins des Lumieres en Ile-de-France, by Dominique Césari, available at bookstores in France and through Amazon.fr and FNAC.
| Garden | Location and access | Description | Links |
| Ermenonville | Ermenonville 45 kilometers northeast of Paris Train or automobile |
Owned and designed by the Marquis René Louis de Girardin, influenced by Jean-Marie Morel and Hubert Robert. The Parc Philosophique was inspired by the writings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Numerous structures are visible including the Tombeau de Roussseau, a Philosphers's Cabin and an altar dedicated to "La Reverie." |
1. Chateau d'Ermenonville
2. Ermenonville in the Wikipedia |
| Parc de Jeurre | Morigny-Champigny 60 kilometers south-southwest of Paris Automobile |
The park contains four structures created by Hubert Robert that were originally in the jarden at Méréville. |
1. Parc de Jeurre
2. Jeurre in the Wikipedia |
| Parc Monceau | Paris, 8th Arrondissement Métro Monceau or Bus |
Built by Louis Phillippe d'Orléans, Duke of Chartres, designed by Louis Carrogis Carmontelle and Thomas Blaikie, a Scots landscape gardener who settled in France in 1776. Designed to "unite in one garden all places and all times." The park now contains five surviving 18th century structures: the rotunda--attributed to Ledoux--the naumachie, a pyramid, three tombs and columns from the Temple of Mars. | Parc Monceau in the Wikipedia |
| Bagatelle | Paris, Bois de Boulogne 16th Arrondissement Bus Line 43 or automobile |
Built by the Count d'Artois, brother of Louis XIV, Designed by François-Joseph Bélanger and Thomas Blaikie. The grounds contain numerous 18th century structures, most notably the Folie. |
1. Bagatelle
2. Bagatelle in the Wikipedia |
| Chantilly | Chantilly 45 kilometers north of Paris Train or automobile |
Created by Louis-Joseph de Bourbon, Prince de Condé, in the extensive park at Chantilly, the 18th century garden consists of two parts, the Hameau and the Jardin Anglo-chinois. In the Hameau--an inspiration for Marie Antoinette's Queen's Hamlet at Trianon--five structures, including a billiard room, a dining room and a mill, have survived. In addition, an English Garden, created in 1820, contains a number of structures including a Temple of Venus. Also worthy of a visit is the château, rebuilt in 1875-81, housing the the exceptional collections of the Musée Condé. | 1. Château de Chantilly 2. Château de Chantilly in the Wikipedia |
| Hameau de la Reine--Marie Antoinette's Estate, Trianon | Versailles 22 kilometers southwest of Paris Train to Versailles Rive Gauche or automobile |
After visiting the Desert de Retz and Chantilly, Marie Antoinette decided to create her own folly garden in the form of a miniature farm on the grounds of the Petit Trianon. The Queen's Hamlet--the Hameau de la Reine--was renamed Marie Antoinette's Estate in 2006. The park contains numerous copies of Norman farm buildings, including a dairy and a dovecote, along with a Temple of Love and a delightful Belvedere, both created by Richard Mique. |
1. The Queen's Hamlet
2. The Queen's Hamlet-Official Site |
| Chinese Pavilion Parc de Cassan |
L'Ile Adam, 25 kilometers north-northwest of Paris
Train or automobile |
Designed by the painter Hubert Robert for his friend and patron, Pierre-Jacques Bergeret de Grancourt, and erected in 1790, the octagonal Chinese Pavilion served both a utilitarian and decorative purpose. In addition to being a brightly-colored recreation of a Chinese pagoda whose interior panels were decorated with paintings of birds evoking both Orient and Occident, the structure served to regulate the level of water in the adjacent artificial lake. The pavilion, in ruins, was acquired by the town of L'Ile Adam in 1971 and soon restored to its former glory. | Le Pavillon Chinois du Parc Cassan |
| Chateau de Groussay | Montfort l'Aumaury 45 kilometers west-southwest of Paris Train or automobile |
A fantastic example of a 20th-century folly garden. Owned by the late esthete Carlos de Beistegui y de Yturbe [also known as Charlie de Beistegui], and designed by Cuban interior designer and landscape architect Emelio Terry. The garden contains 14 structures including a Chinese pagoda, a pyramid, a Palladian bridge and even a Tartar Tent, whose interior walls and floors are decorated with a mosaic design incorporating 10,000 tiles of Delft china. There can be no doubt whatsoever that this garden was directly influenced by the Desert de Retz. |
1. Chateau de Groussay: Official Site
2. Article from International Herald Tribune |
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