Château Salé

En un regard

Le château en bref

The Château Salé is a building located in the old town of Antibes (Alpes-Maritimes). The site is mentioned as early as 1022 in a document of the Abbey of Lérins under the name "Casale Anticum de Saleta", which attests to an early occupation of the place. Its name is said to be linked to the salt trade: Antibes housed one of the salt warehouses of Provence, where cargoes were stored and disputes relating to the gabelle (salt tax) were settled. The building belonged for about a century and a half to the Serrat family, before passing to General Reille and then to the Boula de Mareuil family. In 1739, Élisabeth of France, daughter of Louis XV, stayed there with her husband during their honeymoon journey. In March 1794, the family of Napoleon Bonaparte resided there for several months, following the role he had played at the Siege of Toulon. In 1835, an attempt by Lord Brougham to acquire it met with local opposition because of the site's heritage value. In 1953, the Countess Boula de Mareuil, the last known owner, handed the château over to the town of Antibes, as she could no longer bear the maintenance costs. Today the building houses municipal services as well as a municipal nursery in its park.