The Ainay water gardens date from the end of the 16th century, when the two Renaissance pavilions marking the entrance to the gardens were built. Over the centuries, the garden has evolved according to fashion but has retained its structure.
Abandoned following the Revolution, the château was restored around 1855 and the park transformed into a landscaped park.
In 1985, contemporary gardens were created around the Renaissance water gardens and the old structure was restored.
The Landscape Park
Water is omnipresent in the park of the castle where it plays an essential role. The remarkable and very elaborate hydraulic system inherited from the Middle Ages is still in use and weirs and shovels regulate the flow of water along its entire course.
Numerous ornamental trees planted in the middle of the last century can still be seen today in the park, which has many beautiful species of trees such as bald cypresses planted on the edge of the moats and canals, hundred-year-old oaks and gigantic plane trees.
This creation of the contemporary gardens of Ainay-le-Vieil has given the château an environment worthy of it, and has enhanced the contrast between the long perspectives of the canals surrounding the Grand Carré en l'Île and the enclosed Hortus Conclusus gardens of the Chartreuses.
The Rose Garden
The rose garden is located opposite the two Renaissance Pavilions and bordered by the canals of the Grand carré en l'île and the Carré long des Pavillons.
Les Chartreuses
These are open-air rooms located on a terrace overlooking the canals, linked together by a succession of arcades.
Restorations and creations
The gardens of Ainay-le-Vieil have benefited from thirty years of creations, restorations and developments to welcome the public.
Ainay through the seasons
The fauna of Ainay
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