Château de Rastignac

En un regard

Le château en bref

Nicknamed the “White House of the Périgord”, the Château de Rastignac, in La Bachellerie in the Dordogne, was built between 1811 and 1817 by the architect Mathurin Salat to replace an earlier building burned down in 1572. Its neoclassical south façade, with its dome and colonnade, bears a striking resemblance to that of the White House in Washington, whose portico was nevertheless built twelve years later — a coincidence that still fuels the hypotheses of architectural historians. Set on fire by German troops on 31 March 1944, taking with it thirty-three paintings by great masters (Cézanne, Manet, Renoir, Van Gogh) that had been placed there for safekeeping, the château was restored in 1952 by Yves-Marie Froidevaux. Listed (classé) as a historic monument, it is now divided into seven private residences belonging to Dutch co-owners, and is best seen from the A89 motorway, which it visually dominates.