Château de Villette

A view of the Château de Villette

The Château de Villette is a château (a French manor house) located in Condécourt, France, 40 km (24.8 mi) northwest of Paris. There are numerous outbuildings including a chapel and adjacent reception room, horse stable and greenhouse.

History

More than 185 acres (75 ha) of garden were designed by André Le Nôtre and spread out behind the château in the central axis with two rectangular lakes filled with swans, ducks, birds and fishes, as well as a cascade and fountain that resembles the one at Louis XIV's Château de Marly, surmounted by Neptune. The grounds provide outdoor activities for the château guests, including jogging, biking, and hunting. There is also a swimming pool and a tennis court. Jules Hardouin-Mansart and Le Nôtre designed the Palace of Versailles at the same time as they designed the Château de Villette in the 1680s. Therefore, Villette was nicknamed Le petit Versailles ("the little Versailles").

Films and television series

This French château was chosen to be a part of the shooting locations for a number of films and TV series:

• Sky Fighters (original French title: Les Chevaliers du ciel, first released in 2005), featuring a private mansion owned by the French Air Forces general staff.
• The Da Vinci Code (2006), in which it is the home of Sir Leigh Teabing.
• In Paradisum (2012), a video by the German fashion and art photographer Iris Brosch.
• La Mante (2017), a television miniseries, featured the château to where the character Jeanne Deber is transferred.

See also

• List of tourist attractions in Paris

External links

• The château website