Let François-René de Chateaubriand guide you at the Château de Combourg | Saint-Malo – Mont-Saint-Michel Bay

“It was in the woods of Combourg that I became what I am…”

Let yourself be guided by

François-René de Chateaubriand

Vue Sur Le Parc Du Chateau De Combourg Combourg Smbmsm 2980

Vue Sur Le Parc Du Chateau De Combourg Combourg Smbmsm 2982

The Park

Begin your visit with the 25-hectare Park. The visit is free, getting lost in the alleys and abandoning yourself to contemplation for the time of a stroll, is quite recommended by the author.Then remember the memoirs of Outre-Tombe, sit on the stoop and put the same look as François-René on the Cour Verte, the alleys of chestnut and lime trees. And why not let yourself go to solitude as he did, to see the false cypress, now nearly 250 years old, which since 2012 bears the well-named label of “Remarkable Tree”. Circulate between the Chateaubriand Rose and the Sweet delight Rose, masters of this park.Designed in the English style by Denis and Eugene Bühler in the 19th century. They were inspired by the Mémoires d’Outre-Tombe and recreated the Cour Verte, the large and small mall, the alleys of oak, lime and chestnut trees. The spirit of the writer still inhabits these places. And one can still pass in front of Lucile’s cross and soak up the atmosphere that made him say, when François-René evoked his solitude: “you should paint all this”.

The Castle

Continue your visit through the castle, with the pleasure of being guided. A one-hour visit to immerse yourself in the history of the castle and François-René de Chateaubriand. It begins with the outside, along the ramparts, then it continues in some rooms of the castle marked by its history with furniture, period objects, hangings and also personal objects of Chateaubriand. You will be surprised by the mysterious atmosphere of the place, imagine yourself as an 8 year old boy, walking along the corridors to get back to your bed and overcome your fears of meeting the ghost with the wooden leg and the black cat that haunts the grand staircase of the turret. … People were convinced that a certain Count de Combourg, with a wooden leg, dead for three centuries, appeared at certain times, and that he had been met in the grand staircase of the turret; his wooden leg also sometimes walked alone with a black cat.” Memoirs from Beyond the Grave, book three, chapter 3.To have the pleasure of ending one’s visit at the castle’s curtain wall, which offers a view of the tranquil lake and the countryside of Combourg. The facades and roofs of the castle, as well as the guard room and the vestibule are classified as “historic monuments”.

Chateau De Combourg Combourg Smbmsm 2887

Chateau De Combourg Combourg Alexandre Lamoureux 673

Chateau De Combourg Combourg Smbmsm 2892

Chateau De Combourg Combourg Smbmsm 6535

A legacy

preserved!

The castle is still inhabited by the descendants of the Chateaubriand Family (descendants of Jean-Baptiste de Chateaubriand’s great brother).It can be visited from February to November

Statue De Francois Rene De Chateaubriand Combourg Smbmsm 2856

Follow the guide...

to discover Combourg !

Monumental. Surprising. Unmissable. The former submarine base, built by the German army during World War II, still dominates the port. We invite you to discover this extraordinary place of memory.