Chateau de Savigny-les-Beaune

In Burgundy’s wine country, Chateau de Savigny-les-Beaune rises above ten hectares of vineyards and parkland that a river crosses. This 14th-century fortress now holds seven museums. They showcase one of the world’s most unusual collections: nearly 100 fighter aircraft resting among the vines. Jean de Frolois, Maréchal of the Duchy of Burgundy, built the castle in 1340 for Duke Eudes IV of Bourgogne. Today the estate combines medieval architecture, wine production and mechanical marvels in equal measure.

Location of Chateau de Savigny-les-Beaune

The castle sits on Rue Général Leclerc in Savigny-lès-Beaune, postcode 21420. Savigny-lès-Beaune is one of the wine communes of the Côte de Beaune in the Côte-d’Or region. From Beaune, the D974 road leads to Savigny-lès-Beaune. The drive takes approximately 10 minutes. Ample free parking fills the on-site lot. Visitors can also take the line 10 bus from Beaune. The journey takes approximately 13 minutes from BEAUNE_Buttes to SAVIGNY_Chanterive1. From the bus stop, visitors walk a short distance to the castle. The fortress dominates a magnificent property where a river originally fed the moat of this ancient fortress.

History of Chateau de Savigny-les-Beaune

Builders constructed the castle in 1340 as a medieval fortress. Two drawbridges closed it, while moats that the river fed encircled it. Authorities dismantled it in 1478. Jean d’Amboise, on order of Louis XI during the war of succession (1477-1482), punished the lord. That lord had taken Marie of Burgundy’s side against the king. Only the corbels and machicolations from that period remain visible on two towers.

The Bouhier family became proprietors in the early 17th century, when Étienne restored and enhanced the castle. His son Jean took ownership after his father’s death in 1635. He then commissioned the grand interior staircase modelled on the one Mansard built at Château de Maisons-Lafitte. Jean Bouhier had the Petit Château built in 1671. In 1689, the Migieu family acquired the castle as their property. By alliance it later passed to the general Count de La Loyère and his heirs.

During 1719, President de Migieu had to abandon his castle for several months. It served as imposed residence for the Duchess of Maine, granddaughter of Duke Louis II de Bourbon-Condé, during her exile in Burgundy. Jules Guyot (1807-1872), the vine specialist and author of reference works on viticulture, died there during a stay. Since 18 October 1940, authorities have listed the castle and the adjacent Petit Château as historic monuments.

Current status

In 1979, Michel Pont acquired the castle. He operated as a wine producer with an important estate of 20 hectares of the Côte de Beaune vineyard. He then undertook significant restoration works. Looters had stripped the castle in the 1970s before this wine collector and winemaker purchased it. He transformed it into a museum open to the public, where motorbikes and cars replaced works of art. The castle now holds the world’s largest collection of fighter aircraft. Nearly 100 fighter planes from around the world fill the park. These include 4 aircraft from the Patrouille de France, 11 MiGs and 17 Dassaults.

One of France’s most important motorcycle museums fills the space. It displays nearly 250 motorcycles dating from 1902 to 1960, of all nationalities. Visitors can also explore a warehouse full of vintage fire trucks. The collection holds more than 30 Abarth racing cars, around 2,500 scale model aircraft at 1:72, and about 30 high-clearance tractors built for vineyard use. The entry ticket gives access to the entire collection, the 14th-century castle, the 17th-century Petit Château and the park. Visitors tour the castle and its collections freely with complete signage.

The estate’s vineyard of 10.5 hectares includes the appellations Auxey-Duresses and Savigny-lès-Beaune. The castle opens daily from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. during summer season (29 March to 26 October). During winter season (27 October to 28 March), it opens Thursday to Monday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It closes Tuesdays and Wednesdays then. Authorities listed the site as a historic monument since 1940. Today it attracts about 30,000 visitors annually. The marriage of medieval stone, Burgundy wine and mechanical history creates an experience where centuries meet beneath Côte d’Or skies.