En un regard
Le château en bref
In the centre of Briare, a town in the Loiret department inseparable from its canals, the château known as the Château des Seigneurs du canal is a building from the early 17th century, built around 1610–1620. Its name recalls the venture of the Briare Canal, the first summit-level canal dug in France, linking the Loire to the Loing. Around 1650, the residence was acquired by the Compagnie des Seigneurs du canal, the private company responsible for its operation. Between 1730 and 1742, the Comte de Buron, director of the canal, rebuilt the left wing and fitted out a chapel there. Built of rendered stone under a slate roof, the building rises one square storey and an attic storey; the left wing houses an oval-plan chapel decorated with panelling, and an 18th-century dog-leg staircase retains its wrought-iron handrail. Since 1867, the château has housed the town hall of Briare. Listed in the Inventaire général, it does not appear to be protected as a monument historique.