A real treat awaits visitors to the Loire Valley - the Château de Montrésor. It is the only one of its kind in Polish hands both in France and in Europe. In the historic interiors, you can not only hear many legends, but also feel a sense of national pride. It has been more than 170 years since the château was in Polish hands, and the place continues to surprise, if only with its valuable Polish... dendrology.

Ksawery Branicki - insurgent, emigrant, author of the splendour of Montrésor
There are countless stories about Ksawery Branicki: that he carried precious stones in his pockets to distribute them to the needy; that he financed every idea, even the most original, of Adam Mickiewicz. It is certain that Franciszek Ksawery Branicki of the coat of arms Korczak was born in 1816 in Warsaw and was the son of Władysław Branicki and Róża Potocka. Like many young men of his time, he had to serve in the Tsar's army. He could not reconcile himself to this fact and escaped from Russia at the right opportunity. He went first to Bohemia and then to his sister Sophie in Italy, where he became friends with the Bonaparte family. In 1847, he moved to France - first settling in Paris and then, permanently, in Montrésor.

However, Ksawery Branicki was known to his contemporaries not only for his numerous travels or acquaintanceships with the mighty of this world, but also for his independence, even a certain uncompromisingness. These qualities were described succinctly by his friend Cyprian Kamil Norwid in a letter to Konstancja Górska written shortly after Branicki's death:

What Poland loses in Branicki's death, it probably does not know. [...] He fulfilled one duty brilliantly, that is: he never bowed down to anyone or anything. [They will say that it was easy with his means. Not true! It is always very difficult in Europe and in the 19th century. It is very not easy and perhaps also because it is not easy, it is also very rare!

The funds that Count Branicki had at his disposal were used for noble and patriotic purposes. He supported poor compatriots, subsidised artists, was one of the pillars of the Great Emigration, maintained schools and institutions in France, and - in times of need - generously contributed to the armed struggle against Russia during the January Uprising. But above all, he restored Montrésor to its splendour - both the château, which he embraced as a ruin in 1849, and the whole town.

Montrésor - meaning my treasure
No one needs to be convinced that the castle, located in Montrésor, a town of less than half a thousand inhabitants, is a treasure. But where did the name come from? According to legend, in the 6th century a certain Gontran went on a journey. By a twist of fate, he encountered an enchanted lizard that led him to a hill, where many treasures were hidden. The young man, hitherto too poor to marry his beloved, gained a fortune and erected his first fortress on the spot indicated by the animal. However, this story is not corroborated by any sources, although St Gontran (Guntram), the historical king of Burgundy, reigned in the sixth century.

Another story says that a mysterious lizard was seen by knights resting in the area. The animal with emerald eyes led them to a hill where precious treasures were supposed to be hidden. So far, no one has dug up the "green jewels", but they may have contributed to the flourishing of the building perched on top of them.

Montrésor Castle - 1000 years of history
The fortress at Montrésor was first mentioned in 1005, when Count Fulko III the Black (Nerra) of Andegavia built his fortress here. Until the 15th century, its successive owners changed until the land was taken over by King Louis XI's advisor, Imbert de Batarnay, who built a castle in a form similar to the modern one.

Initially much larger, it was unfortunately partially destroyed during the French Revolution. However, as recalled in the film by the Polonica Institute, Maria Reyowa, née Potocka Rey, and Cecylia Rey - it was from the rubble of the destroyed castle chapel that a paved road was built, replacing the previous defensive moat.

When Ksawery Branicki came into possession of Montrésor, both the castle and the town required a great deal of complex and costly renovations, which have been carried out by successive owners - representatives of the Branicki, Potocki and Rey families - up to the present day. Having preserved the existing form, Ksawery Branicki gave the interiors his favourite style of the Second Empire, enriching them with numerous Polish accents. The castle does not have a complicated body, as it combines Gothic and Renaissance elements.

The oldest surviving part, still remembering the times of Fulko III, is a fragment of the so-called donjon, a kind of defence and residential tower. The building itself is not very spacious, but it is two-storey, built on a rectangular plan, flanked at the corners of the southern façade by a conical turret; the northern façade, instead of turrets, is decorated with two watchtowers.

History has not been kind to these walls and today only the "proper" castle and the remains, which are ruins, appear to the eyes of visitors. Interestingly, the estate was opened to the public very early, in 1852. Visitors can also admire some of the restored interiors along with the historic park, decorated with original sculptures.

The Branicki Collection at the Château de Montrésor
Branicki's idée fixe was to preserve Polishness abroad, that la Petite Pologne, little Poland. And he succeeded brilliantly. Of course, when visiting Montrésor, we will marvel at Veronese's painting of Jesus and the Open Sinner (won, by Branicki, at cards from Prince Hieronymus Bonaparte), or the portraits of the old masters, but our eye will inevitably be drawn to the Polish artefacts. Apart from the Mickiewicz cup and the autograph of the poem To the Friends of Muscovites, described in the "Poloniek of the Week", in the castle's treasure-collections, noteworthy are, for example, numerous mementoes connected with John III Sobieski and the relief of Vienna. These include the painting by Henryk Rodakowski Count Wilczek begging John III to help Vienna, interesting reliefs by Pierre Vaneau, silverware and even original Turkish saddles.

Collection of Polish art at the Château de Montrésor
. Ksawery Branicki had special ties with Polish artists, who were often in poverty abroad. The owner of Montrésor supported them regularly, but did so skilfully, sensitively, respecting their pride and creative ambitions. Thus, the billiard room is decorated with a portrait of the Musicianess, or girl with violin, painted in charcoal by Artur Grottger, for which Branicki paid the artist as much as three times the value of the work. On another occasion, he bought a sculpture from the widow of Teofil Lenartowicz; few realise that its author was not only a very popular poet of his time, but also a skilful sculptor.

The large painting on display in Montrésor, although painted by a Frenchman, Tony Robert-Fleury, but painfully touching on Polish history, deserves a separate discussion. This work is The Massacre of the Poles in Warsaw, painted in 1866, also known as Warsaw 8 April 1861 (a copy of the painting in the collection of the National Museum in Kraków is so titled). It depicts the brutal pacification by Russian troops of a patriotic demonstration on Castle Square in Warsaw.

But la Petite Pologne is not only about souvenirs. It is also, or perhaps above all, the people who have found refuge in Montrésor since the Partitions of Poland and who continue to care for the Polish heritage on the Loire to this day. Among them was Countess Maria née Potocka Reyowa, who died a year ago - for many post-war decades a tireless guardian and protector of Petite Pologne in Montrésor.

Oak from the White Church in Montrésor
. As recalled by descendants caring for the legacy of their great ancestor, the Branickis longed for their beloved Biała Cerkiew, located near Kiev in Ukraine. Their ancestors had their estates there, which, as a result of Russian decrees, were irretrievably taken away from them.

To soothe the pain of their loss, back in Montrésor, it is likely that Ksawery Branicki's nephew, the naturalist Ksawery Władysław Branicki (1864-1926), planted acorns specially brought from the local tree in the chateau park, from which a huge oak grew years later. And today we can enjoy a unique, on a worldwide scale, dendrological polonium
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