Located in the Haute Meuse, in a region where forests and rivers alternate harmoniously, the Annevoie Gardens are a real pearl in a green setting. These Gardens, where the splendor and majesty of the French style blend harmoniously with English romanticism and Italian geometry, were designed to reveal their riches only little by little, while walking and leading from surprise to surprise, according to the extraordinary variety of contrasts.
Les Jardins d’Annevoie History
The gardens of Annevoie are linked to the history of the Montpellier family, whose origins date back to the mid-15th century. It was in the early 18th century that Jean de Montpellier inherited the Annevoie estate, previously owned by the Halloy family. At that time, the Montpellier family is known to be Masters of Forges. Jean de Montpellier's son, Charles-Alexis, himself Mayeur of the court of Ferrons, drew from this then flourishing industry the means to develop its gardens and expand the castle with the beginning of the works at the end of the 18th century. To do this, he will draw inspiration from his many trips to Europe. Therefore, the gardens were designed on the basis of three philosophies: the French style, with the use of curves and sinuosities to create long and majestic perspectives, the English style with architecture that attempts to artificially reproduce natural effects, and the Italian style where the architecture creates contrasts and surprise effects, with extensive use of ponds and fountains.
In the 1930s the Gardens were open to the public. In 1982 the entire site, gardens and buildings were classified as Historic Monuments.
Ten generations of the Montpellier family contributed to the creation, improvement and conservation of the Gardens.
In 2017, the gardens and the castle were taken over by a private foundation, Domaine Historique du Château et des Jardins d'Annevoie, which aims to preserve and enhance the Annevoie estate and its water gardens.