Castle of Vaux le Vicomte

The baroque castle of Vaux-le-Vicomte located in Maincy, near Melun is an influential work of architecture of this period in seventeenth-century Europe. The most important historic elements of the palace include the oval main lounge, entrance hall, rooms and apartments, a loggia and a garden with a moat, a bridge and terraces. The interiors of the castle are full of works of art.

The Vaux-le-Vicomte castle was erected in the years 1658-1661 for Nicolas Fouquet, Marquis de Belle Ile, finance curator of Louis XIV. To provide the necessary basis for developing plans for gardens and a castle, Fouquet bought and demolished three villages. Displaced villagers were then employed to maintain the gardens.

At Vaux-le-Vicomte, architect Louis Le Vau, landscape architect André Le Notre and decorator painter Charles Le Brun worked together on the design of the castle and gardens. Their cooperation initiated the Louisian style, combining architecture, interior design and landscape architecture. An example of this style is the visual garden axis passing into the axis of the castle.