The castle’s park: a protected natural area
With its 42 hectares, the departmental nature reserve of Sully Castle is a place steeped in history and rich in biodiversity. It enables you to discover the natural richness of the estate by wandering its beautiful paths which are bordered by 19th century trees.
A place steeped in history and rich in biodiversity.
The garden, a true passion for the Duke of Sully
This park is composed of two parts: the historic estate built from the 15th century, (previously the gardens of the castle) which ends in the east by the Sange, and a natural area, the ponds of Marçon in the south. With a surface area of 4.1 hectares, these ponds may have existed for about fifty years and may have been produced by the extraction of materials after World War Two. However, no historical document proves this.
The historic part of the park has existed since the Middle Ages and at that time, the garden and the castle were two very distinct entities. It was during the Renaissance era, the period of the Italian gardens, when they were connected thanks to the implementation of axes. Then, under Maximilien de Béthune, the garden was redesigned and reorganised from 1603. Beforehand, the huge paths were rectangles with vegetable gardens. He then added orchards in 1604. A vegetable garden has many functions, the main one is usefulness: feeding its owner with fresh vegetables. But the garden also has a beautiful and pleasurable role.
For Maximilien de Béthune, the garden was a true passion and something which was commonplace for the nobility at the time. He did not hesitate to give advice to his gardeners and test grafting experiments between the plants. Thus, the vegetable garden contained a huge variety of species, from the higher quality ones (asparagus plants, artichoke plants, cucumber plants, melon plants, lettuce plants, chard plants etc...) to the vegetables associated with peasantry (radishes, carrots, turnips, cabbages etc...). The orchards, which were probably added to the vegetable garden, were composed of 200 fruit trees including 29 different types of pear trees.
A curiosity of the park: the grotte de Lourdes (Lourdes cave)
At the request of the Countess of Sully, Marguerite Amelot de Chaillou, a cave was built in 1883 with, so it seems, stones from the region of Lourdes. Located at the north end of the park, it was created to embellish the garden. But the Countess did not benefit from it as she died the same evening of its benediction on 29 May 1883, which was perceived as a very bad omen at the time. The statue of Virgin Mary protects and watches over the “grotte de Lourdes.”
The Sange which runs over 17km flows into the Loire. This river was diverted from its natural bed and adjusted by the Duke of Sully to fill the moats of the castle with water thanks to a sluice gate visible at the south east of the park. It was partially channelled and sometimes enlarged to serve as a reservoir in case of a flood. Thanks to this waterway, the ponds of Marçon and the moats of the castle, there are many odonata (damselflies and dragonflies) in the park and they are evidence that the waters are of a good quality. Some of the species you will spot include the variable damselfly, the orange featherleg and the beautiful demoiselle.
32 species of butterflies can also be seen in the park. This huge variety of species indicates that the site is in a healthy condition and it also shows the micro-habitat diversity (wetland, clearings and wood). One of the notable species of the park is the glanville fritillary. It is important to notice the wide clearing on the site which has a high flora and fauna variety. In the past, this place was also called the “enclosed garden” (a place enclosed for pleasure, entertainment and strolls) and is formed by paths joining each other in a star shape. Today, the open environments benefit from a well thought-out reaping process and are suitable for insects, reptiles and plants. Thus, this megaphorb hosts orthoptera including grasshoppers and crickets, and the crickets can be heard until late in the evening.
89 species of birds and 184 species of plants
The park has 89 species (passing or resident) of birds. In fact, the historic undergrowths of the site enable the birds to be seen more easily. With a bit of discretion and patience, it may be possible to see the jay in the oak trees, the wood nuthatch and the middle spotted woodpecker. The most wild area is equipped with islands in the middle of the pond and is a significant nesting place for various species which can easily be seen from the riverbank. These species include the little egret, the great crested grebe and the black-crowned night heron. As for the plants, 184 species have been listed in the park. This important biodiversity is due to the different habitats in the park (megaphorb, meadow, forest, wetland). Each environment has its own species.
The visitor of this park will take pleasure in strolling between the paths of centenarian lime trees and the remains of the recreational garden produced by Maximilien de Béthune from 1602. Among the other remarkable trees, it is worth noticing the centenarian bald cypresses planted along the moats which embellish the place. The cypresses are known to lose their needles in winter and they adapt very well to humid environments, hence their majestic size.
Finally, it is impossible to speak about the park without mentioning the magnificent castle which has belonged to three different families: the first lords of Sully, the la Trémouille family and the Béthune family with the famous Maximilien de Béthune, Duke of Sully under Henry IV. Throughout the centuries, the castle has undergone many changes and was purchased by the Department of Loiret in 1962.
Un parcours à énigmes pour amuser petits et grands
Questions on the fauna and flora, codes, rebuses etc... the Department invites you to discover Sully Castle’s nature reserve by following the riddle trail which you can download below. Once you have discovered the mystery word, e-mail your answer to ens@loiret.fr. A certificate will be sent to you and explanations on this mysterious word will be given to you. Several levels are offered to you.