En un regard
Le château en bref
The Château de Versainville, near Falaise in Calvados, was begun during the Regency by François-Joseph de Marguerit, the future Marquis de Versainville. Described by the Norman writer Jean de La Varende as "magnificent indeed, and of princely ambition", it features a grand classical façade, a main building (corps de logis) linked to a gallery ending in a pavilion, and a park of centuries-old trees enclosed by a wrought-iron gate dating from the time of Louis XIV. The estate remained with the descendants of the Marquises de Versainville until 1944, the year in which its owner, Count Bernard de La Rochefoucauld, mayor of the commune, died in the Flossenbürg camp. It then passed to companies in the automotive sector, including the PSA group, before returning in 2002 to grand-nephews of the count. Today the château hosts weddings and receptions, business seminars, and cultural and musical events, offers gîte accommodation, and opens to the public during the summer season and for the European Heritage Days.