The sun finally shone on Friday May 24. Elected representatives, friends, neighbors, music lovers and fans of art and culture in general all turned out for the launch of the Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil's cultural season.
The evening began in the courtyard of the Capitainerie with a welcome from Arielle and Hervé Borne, owners of the château, and David Molard Soriano, conductor and artistic director of Rencontres Musicales du Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil.
After learning a great deal about Les Rencontres and discovering the Au bout du Conte exhibition by Arielle de La Tour d'Auvergne, Aline Kundig and Emmanuelle Michaux, which will be on display all season at Musée d'Arts des Traditions Populaires, everyone was invited to enjoy a drink at the La Volière restaurant , whose terrace was covered in roses, and discover the Organiques installation by sculptor Véronique Wirth , who has taken possession of the Château's rose garden. One of these works will join Arielle and Hervé Borne's contemporary art collection.
Local Heritage and Tourism Program : the southern dwelling
In 2022, the Fondation du patrimoine launched the "Heritage and Local Tourism" program, the aim of which is to provide financial support for projects to renovate, preserve or rescue buildings of heritage interest that have an impact on the development of tourism in rural areas and small towns.
In July 2023, the Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil had the great joy of being awarded the "Heritage and Local Tourism" program of the Fondation du Patrimoine, supported by Airbnb. Our warmest thanks go to them and to Demeure Historique for hosting our donation drive.
Since 2019, we've embarked on major restoration work on the roofs, roof timbers and renderings on the courtyard and moat sides. This €20,000 grant has helped us to continue the restoration of the château's southern dwelling, which you can see here on the courtyard and moat sides.
We would like to take this opportunity to salute the marvellous work carried out by the teams of craftsmen who have been working on the château's restoration from the outset.
Chocolate hunters
The season got off to a fun and delicious start with our first egg hunt, on Sunday March 31! Three starting times were organized in the park to give our young hunters a chance. The most discerning hunters even managed to find Mélusine, our chocolate mermaid/dragon, and were rewarded with a very pleasant surprise.
See you next year during the Easter weekend for a new hunt and new rules...
For a good cause...
On May 4 and 5, the Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil took part in "Jardins ouverts pour le Neurodon". An event organized by the "Fédération pour la recherche sur le cerveau" and the "Comité des Parcs et Jardins de France".
It's a great way to raise money for a good cause, and to advance research in this field. The Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil has been involved for several years, donating a portion of its entrance fees to the Federation for Brain Research. For the Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil and its team, highlighting Neurodon through its park and gardens is an obvious choice. This cause is dear to their hearts, and there's no better way to showcase the benefits of nature for the brain.
In the family
On Sunday May 26, the Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil celebrated the family with this event, Ainay celebrates the family.
The program includes a treasure hunt with the Kid évènementiel team, circus and old-time games workshops with theTout Azimut association, magical storytelling with Ghislaine Antoine and Marie-Anne Rocher, and a pony ride around the château with Écuries Deuquet.
A day dedicated to children, which brings family and friends together in good spirits. We look forward to seeing you next year...
Senses on alert
As in previous years, Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil has joined forces with the French Ministry of Culture and opened its gardens on Saturday June1 and Sunday June 2 to celebrate Rendez-vous in the Gardens.
The theme chosen for this 21st edition was "the five senses in the garden ". Each of the five senses was highlighted through a variety of activities.
Smell the hundreds of roses in the rose garden.
Taste the honey from our beehives harvested by our beekeeper, Jean-François Riou, and enjoy a selection of chocolates and rums at La Volière restaurant.
Listen to birdsong in the garden with Sébastien Brunet - Nature 18.
Touch, with Evelyne Benentendi 's introduction to forest bathing using the park's remarkable trees: bald cypress, oak, plane...
Enjoy the view of the château from a frame set in the central rose garden alley, with its unobstructed view of the châtelet.
It's an opportunity for many to play the fun game of the selfie, which has now become universal.
The five-part program was rounded off by an original guided tour of the gardens, orchestrated by Château owner Hervé Borne, which awakened visitors' five senses and gave them an unusual insight into the gardens of Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil.