Château de la Gournerie

The Château de la Gournerie is a 17th-century residence located in Saint-Herblain, in the Loire-Atlantique department of the Pays de la Loire region in western France. It stands in a large landscaped park of approximately 60–70 hectares in the north-western part of the commune, bordered to the south by the Chézine stream, a few minutes from the Atlantis commercial area and the centre of Nantes.

In 1602 the site was acquired by the knight Jean de Bruc de la Grée. He had the present château built in 1623. In 1744 it was purchased by Charles Maillard, a master of the Chambre des comptes de Bretagne, who already owned the neighbouring seigneuries of La Béhinière and La Sionnière. He united them into a single domain centred on the château. His family later took the name Maillard de la Gournerie; two of its members served as mayors of Saint-Herblain between 1882 and 1944. The château was spared during the Revolution and was enlarged and remodelled in the 19th century, reaching its present form around 1866.

Architecturally it is a fine example of a 17th-century building with a curved pediment flanked by pavilions, later extended by large outbuildings of the 18th and 19th centuries. The south façade is decorated with the coats of arms of the successive owning families. An early-17th-century chapel, remodelled in the early 19th century as a family burial place for the Maillard de la Gournerie, still stands on the estate.

The extensive park contains meadows, woods, two large ponds (formerly used to supply the château), avenues of ancient trees and remarkable specimens, including sequoias introduced from America in the 19th century. It is the largest park in the commune and a major green space for the Nantes agglomeration.

In 1973 the domain was sold to the City of Saint-Herblain. Major restoration of the façades, roof and interior took place in 1996–1997. Today the château houses the restaurant “Les Terrasses de la Gournerie” and is used for receptions, seminars, training sessions and environmental education activities (including “classes vertes” and a children’s leisure centre). The park is open to the public for walking, sport and nature discovery.