Exceptional opening of the restoration site at the château de Bénouville, in Calvados
Bénouville: the Ledoux château restoration site opens to the public
Closed since late 2024, the château de Bénouville, designed by Claude-Nicolas Ledoux, opened its restoration site to the public on 20 September 2026, ahead of a full reopening planned for around 2028.
Editorial journal · Carte des Châteaux ·
On 20 September 2026, the Calvados Department opened the restoration site of the château de Bénouville to the public, closed since September 2024. Three guided tour slots, at 10am, 2pm and 4pm, allowed visitors to discover this residence designed by architect Claude-Nicolas Ledoux between 1769 and 1777, ahead of its full reopening expected around 2028.
An architectural manifesto by Claude-Nicolas Ledoux
Before becoming one of the visionary architects of the 18th century, Claude-Nicolas Ledoux began construction of the château de Bénouville for the de Livry family in 1769. Here, he experimented with roofs hidden behind the attic spaces—a bold approach that foreshadowed the formal research he would later develop for the Royal Saltworks at Arc-et-Senans.
A maternity ward turned Resistance hideout
After its acquisition by the Calvados Department in 1927, the château underwent a radical change of use: from 1929 to 1973, it housed a departmental maternity ward. During the Occupation, its director Léa Vion took advantage of the building’s discreet setting to aid Resistance fighters, adding a clandestine chapter to the site’s history.
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