The Park

Covering 25 hectares (62 acres), the Château de Combourg's park is one of Brittany's finest examples of an English landscape garden. At the end of the 19th century, when Geoffroy and Antoinette de Chateaubriand undertook the rescue of the château after nearly eighty years of abandonment, they entrusted its restoration to Ernest Trilhe, a pupil of Viollet-le-Duc, and commissioned the celebrated landscape architects Denis and Eugène Bühler, designers of some of France's most prestigious parks, to redesign the grounds.

Drawing inspiration from Memoirs from Beyond the Grave, the Bühler brothers created a romantic landscape of open meadows, woodland, remarkable trees and sweeping vistas. Their aim was not simply to design a garden, but to recreate the scenery that had shaped the imagination of François-René de Chateaubriand.

"It was in the woods of Combourg that I became what I am."
François-René de Chateaubriand, Memoirs from Beyond the Grave

As you stroll through the park, discover the magnificent Lawson cypress, awarded the "Remarkable Tree" label in 2012, the 300-year-old oak, the 200-year-old lime trees, the majestic Atlas cedar, and the stately horse chestnut avenues. The park continues to evolve to ensure this living heritage is passed on to future generations. Among its recent plantings are a sweetgum (Liquidambar), a tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera), a Cedar of Lebanon, a magnolia, an Indian horse chestnut, and a giant sequoia, all destined to become the landmark trees of tomorrow.

The park is also home to the Chateaubriand Rose, winner of the 2009 Prix de Rome, officially christened during the 2010 Floréales Médiévales, and the Sweet Delight Rose, awarded the Best Fragrance Prize at Bagatelle in 2013 before being planted and christened at the château during the 2014 Floréales Médiévales.

In Chateaubriand's time, the woods of Combourg formed part of the vast forest that once covered much of Upper Brittany. In his Memoirs from Beyond the Grave, he identifies it with the legendary Bréchéliant, the ancient name of Brocéliande, home to Merlin, the Lady of the Lake and the Knights of the Round Table.

"In the twelfth century, the regions of Fougères, Rennes, Bécherel, Dinan, Saint-Malo and Dol were covered by the Forest of Bréchéliant…"
François-René de Chateaubriand, Memoirs from Beyond the Grave

According to tradition, Sir Lancelot's coat of arms was inspired by that of the powerful Lords of Coëtquen, who owned Combourg during the 14th century. Their heraldic arms, still visible inside the château, bear witness to the close connection between Combourg's history and the great Arthurian legends.

Separate from the park, the château estate also includes Lake Tranquille, a 25-hectare (62-acre) lake located at the entrance to the town of Combourg. Although situated within the town rather than the park itself, it has formed part of the château estate for centuries. A scenic 40-minute walk follows its shoreline, offering beautiful views of the château, the surrounding woods and the historic town.

"The song of the thrush in the woods of Combourg filled me with a happiness I believed I could attain…"
François-René de Chateaubriand, Memoirs from Beyond the Grave

Nearly two centuries after Chateaubriand, the park and Lake Tranquille remain places where nature, history, literature and Breton legends come together. Every walk invites visitors to rediscover the landscapes that inspired one of France's greatest writers and helped give birth to the Romantic movement.