The Château de Marqueyssac is a 17th-century garden located at Vézac, in the Dordogne department of France. The château was built at the end of the 17th century by Bertrand Vernet de Marqueyssac, counselor to Louis XIV, on cliffs overlooking the Dordogne Valley. The boxwood tree plantation work started way back in the 1860s. They have been carved in magnificent shapes, and several are in groups of rounded shapes like flocks of sheep.
Therefore, with the passage of time, several new plants were added to the gardens, like linden trees, cypress trees, stone pine from Italy, and the cyclamen from Naples. Unfortunately, after the 1950s, the gardens were not well maintained. But in 1996, the gardens were restored to their old character. Hence, we added some new features, including an alley between Santolina and rosemary. In the romantic spirit of the 19th century, a course of water descended from the Belvedere and ended in a cascade.
The gardens were opened to the public in 1996. Since then, gardens have been classified among the Distinguished Gardens of France by the Committee of Parks and Gardens of the French Ministry of Culture. It is well believed by nature lovers that the Gardens of Marqueyssac are one of the world’s most magnificent gardens.
The Gardens of Marqueyssac are the greatest gardens of the Périgord. The beautiful romantic and attractive gardens of Marqueyssac provide over 6 KM of shaded paths bordered by 150000 hand-pruned box trees a hundred years old, the whole embellished with belvederes, waterways, rockeries, and grassy clearings. The Belvedere, at 130 meters above the river, gives an exceptional view of the Dordogne valley with its castles and some of the most beautiful villages in France.
The Gardens of Marqueyssac also offer splendid views of the Dordogne valley between Beynac and La Roque-Gageache. The garden is attractively decorated with belvederes, rocks, grass glades, water, dry-stone huts, a roundabout, a Gothic chapel, and playgrounds for children. The sparkling, rounded forms of the garden are cautiously manicured by active attendants, maintaining a design that was first developed over 300 years ago.
