Château de Vaux le Vicomte

Three men are responsible for the splendor of the Château de Vaux le Vicomte: the architect Nicolas Fouquet, the painter and decorator Le Brun and the landscape gardener Le Nôtre.
When Fouquet organized a reception in honor of Louis XIV on August 17, 1661, the King became jealous of Fouquet's popularity and the beauty of the château and had the architect arrested and sent to prison for life. Fouquet's family were sent away from the château. On July 6, 1875, Alfred Sommier purchased Vaux le Vicomte at a public action. The château was empty, its outbuildings in ruins, and the garden was overgrown and neglected. After Sommmier's death in 1908, the château was restored to its original splendor and today Sommier's direct descendants ensure that it remains that way.