Château de Neureux

En un regard

Le château en bref

The Château de Neureux, located at the north-eastern edge of Lurcy-Lévis in the Allier department, is regarded as the oldest building in the commune. Built at the beginning of the 14th century, it is mentioned as early as 1301, when Guillaume d'Aubigny made a feudal declaration (aveu) for it. The estate remained in the d'Aubigny family until the 17th century. Confiscated by Louis XV in 1751, it became the residence of finance officials before being acquired in 1783 by André de Sinety, who incorporated it into his estate; it suffered a fire in 1789. The present building, remodelled in the neoclassical manner, rises over two storeys and an attic level pierced with dormer windows topped by stone pediments; its façade originally had four round towers, two of which have been razed. The property then passed to Louise Cordélia Greffulhe in 1823, and to the Dutch banker Isaac Thuret in 1833. A Dutch couple acquired it in 2007, before the family of former professional cyclist Eddy Planckaert bought it in 2015, the year in which a fire destroyed part of the roof and structures. The château, currently undergoing restoration, is private property and includes a gîte (holiday rental) set up in a separate house on the estate.