The Journées du Patrimoine (Heritage Days) are coming to Paris and the Île-de-France region for their 41st edition, which promises to be a richly rewarding event. Every year, this cultural event offers us the chance to explore our heritage from every angle, with visits that are often free of charge, special events and even exceptional openings. In the Paris region, every year, a wide range of venues take part: museums, monuments, major institutions, churches, fashion houses, hospitals and more. So there's something for everyone at this not-to-be-missed event, which takes place this year on the weekend of September 21 and 22, 2024.
Want to conquer the castles of the Île-de-France region? During the Journées du Patrimoine (Heritage Days), these historic sites are obviously in the spotlight. If you'd like to explore the heritage of the Essonne département, or if you're a local, now's the time to (re)discover the Domaine de Courson, located in Courson-Monteloup. Here, you'll discover a château listed as a Historic Monument and a French-style park labeled a Remarkable Garden. The Domaine is taking part in this year's Journées du Patrimoine, and is unveiling its program!
From the century of Louis XIV to that of Napoleon, the Château de Courson has been the scene of so many events! Come and discover this château, which once belonged to an Empire general and has been a listed historic monument since 1944, in the great French tradition of splendid, refined aristocratic residences. From drawing room to drawing room, from tapestries to engravings, from paintings to anecdotes, our guide-lecturers will plunge you into the heart of France's great and small history, as you discover fascinating eras!
Open to visitors only during the Journées eruropéennes du patrimoine, the Courson water tower was built of ashlar around 1640, and is a unique testimony to the way water was supplied to a multi-storey building from the 17th century to the present day, before the invention of electricity. Elements of its operation still survive today, including the carousel room, the wooden axle, part of the gearwheels, the lead tank...
It has 4 levels: the spring water reserve is located in the basement. On the first floor, called the "manège", an axle was driven by the movement of two mules on a circular paved path. On the second floor, gearwheels set pistons in motion to raise the water to the level of a lead tank located on the second floor at a height of 7m, sufficient to supply the château.
In 1850, the wooden gear system was replaced by a cast-iron one, and the mules by a steam engine. In 1925, a gasoline engine was installed to supply water directly to the park, bypassing the tank.
Until 1975, the water tower supplied all the water needed for the château's consumption, and continues to do so today, thanks to electric pumps.
Lucretia Borgia, from hatred to love
Her name terrorizes the whole of Italy: incestuous, ruthless, a courtier with a sulphurous reputation, a bloodthirsty monster, this woman of power has committed the most horrible crimes. And yet, Lucrèce Borgia loves, bends and trembles before a man....
After Cyrano de Bergerac in 2023, Les Âmes Bien Nées will present an adaptation of Lucrèce Borgia, considered by George Sand to be the most powerful of Victor Hugo's works, for the 2024 edition.
After your visit to the Domaine de Courson, don't miss this touring show in the magnificent setting of the Parc de Courson. Performed by a troupe of 24 actors, singers, dancers, horsemen and fire-eaters, this drama will set the château alight for two memorable evenings.
Directed by Virginie Poisson
Lucrèce Borgia: Pauline Passeri
Gennaro: Fabian Drahonnet
Alphonse d'Este: Stéphane Pellerin
Gubetta: Frédéric Beaugheon
Dates and Opening Time
From September 21, 2024 to September 22, 2024
Location
Domaine de Courson Park
91680 Courson-Monteloup
91680 Courson Monteloup
Official website
www.domaine-de-courson.fr
