Château de Montpoupon: The Hunt Continues

In the quiet Indre valley between Loches and Montrichard, Château de Montpoupon preserves a way of life that shaped the Loire Valley for centuries: the culture of the hunt. This modest château, continuously inhabited by the same family since 1857, offers intimate glimpses into noble life stripped of royal grandeur.

A Living Home

Unlike state-owned châteaux frozen at particular historical moments, Montpoupon evolved organically as family needs changed. The medieval towers remain, but Renaissance windows pierce their walls. The 19th-century additions respect earlier architecture while providing modern comforts. This architectural palimpsest tells the story of a family adapting to changing times while maintaining traditions.

The château's interiors reveal this continuity. The dining room table, set with family china, awaits the next meal. The library contains books spanning five centuries, from medieval manuscripts to contemporary novels, all actively read by family members. The bedrooms show personal touches—a child's drawing tucked into a 17th-century mirror frame, fresh flowers in an Art Nouveau vase.

The Museum of Venery

Montpoupon's unique contribution to Loire Valley heritage is its Museum of Venery (hunting with hounds), housed in the château's outbuildings. This isn't a simple display of trophies but a sophisticated exploration of hunting's role in shaping landscape, society, and culture.

The museum begins with practical elements: the tack room displays centuries of saddlery, showing how equipment evolved to meet changing needs. The kennel architecture demonstrates sophisticated understanding of canine psychology and health. The huntsman's quarters reveal the professional knowledge required to maintain a pack—genealogies of hounds traced over generations, detailed records of each animal's strengths and weaknesses.

But the museum goes deeper, exploring hunting's social dimensions. It acknowledges how the sport reinforced class divisions while also creating unexpected connections—the noble huntsman depended on common kennelmen's expertise, creating relationships that crossed social boundaries. Women's participation, often overlooked, receives attention through displays on famous huntresses and the essential roles of farmers' wives who provided food and shelter during long chases.

The Landscape Legacy

Montpoupon's grounds demonstrate how hunting shaped the Loire Valley landscape. The forests, neither natural nor purely artificial, resulted from centuries of management for game. The system of rides (straight paths through woods) created for mounted hunters now serves hikers and cyclists. The meadows maintained for deer grazing support rare butterfly species. This landscape, created for elite sport, inadvertently preserved biodiversity that intensive agriculture would have destroyed.

The château's current owner, Countess de Louvencourt, has evolved this heritage for contemporary times. Drag hunting (following an artificial scent) replaces the pursuit of live animals. The forests, managed for biodiversity rather than pure game production, demonstrate sustainable forestry practices. Educational programs teach students about ecosystem management through the lens of historical land use.