Places to visit in Burgundy


Places to visit in Burgundy Places to visit

Le Creusot - Saône-et-Loire

Le Château de la Verrerie

Informations pratiques

Château de la Verrerie

71 Place Schneider

71200 Le Creusot

Located in the centre of Le Creusot, in Saône et Loire, Château de la Verrerie is an important site of the regional industrial history.

The castle was built in 1787 to house the crystal factory of Queen Marie-Antoinette, it then became the residence of the Schneider family in 1837 for more than a century before being sold in 1969 by 1969 par Dominique Schneider, the last heir of the family, to the town of Le Creusot. It has been registered as a heritage site in December 1984.

The two ovens of the crystal factory, conical in shape and 27 m high, have been transformed and now house a splendid Italian style theatre for the left-side oven and a chapel come art gallery for the right-side oven.

The centre of the castle now house Ecomusée Creusot Montceau (ecomuseum) le Musée de l’homme et de l’industrie (local history and industry museum), where can learn about the Schneider dynasty and the development of the town and admire the collection of crystals, paintings, and models.

In the outbuildings of the castle, the Jeu de Paume room (royal tennis) houses the Pavillon de l’Industrie (industry museum), that retraces the history of metallurgy in Le Creusot.

The gardens of the castle are no less prestigious, the park covers 28 hectares and is a green haven in the centre of the town. It was created by the landscaper Henri Duchêne and his son Achille Duchêne. The park is open to the public who can enjoy its many exotic trees (Bhutan pine, American tulip tree, Atlas cedar, mountain ash, etc.), its two ponds, and the animal park and play area.

Informations pratiques

Château de la Verrerie

71 Place Schneider

71200 Le Creusot