Château de Mongenan

Portets, France, France

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The Château de Mongenan is an 18th-century country house, known as a "folly," located in Portets in the Gironde Department of France, about 20 kilometers south of Bordeaux.

Built in 1736 by Baron Antoine de Gasq and inspired by his friend Jean-Jacques Rousseau and botanist Linnaeus's theories, the château is surrounded by enchanting botanical gardens created in 1741 that are classified as Notable Gardens of France by the French Ministry of Culture.

The gardens preserve their 18th-century design with period vegetables, local fruit tree varieties, 18th-century roses, asters, iris, dahlias, aromatic plants, and perfume-making plants, housing over 1,000 different species of ornamental plants, herbs, and vegetables. 

The château itself is listed as a Monument historique since 2003 and houses unique attractions including an 18th-century Freemasonry museum and the only preserved Masonic Temple dating from the 1789 French Revolution period, with the interior decoration and furniture kept as it was during that time.