The Château de Bissieux

Built between the late 16th and early 17th centuries, the Château de Bissieux was originally a farmhouse converted into a hunting lodge, which soon became a key stopover for the great huntsmen of the Dombes. It hosted hunting parties arriving from Lyon, Mâcon and Bourg-en-Bresse. Riders and followers enjoyed this pause in the heart of the charming medieval town of Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne, with its narrow streets and renowned inns lining the banks of the Chalaronne.

The property later became the secondary residence of prominent Lyonnais families, who occupied it between the 18th and 20th centuries and gave it its noble character. Between town and forest, the original hunting lodge gradually evolved into an elegant residence framed by two slender towers, giving it its distinctive appearance.

A living witness to history, the Château de Bissieux watches over these grounds between town and woodland. Its façade still displays one of the finest examples of opus spicatum in the region. Rows of bricks and locally sourced pebbles set in sand and lime, repeated endlessly, draw directly from the geology of the Dombes.

At the end of its chestnut-lined driveway, deeply rooted in local history, the Château de Bissieux now brings its story into the present.