Heritage Days 2026: offbeat and free activities at the Désert de Retz (78)

What if we go discover the Désert de Retz for Heritage Days? This Sunday, September 20, 2026, the site invites you to join. It’s the moment to dive into the world of this quirky space with a charming free program.

The Désert de Retz in Yvelines is a walk through history. Located in Chambourcy, the site welcomes us for an immersion in an 18th-century park of fabriques, a reflection of the Enlightenment. Designed between 1774 and 1789 by François Racine de Monville, the park was created at a time when architectural beauty and nature merged to create a space for reverie. Unfortunately, the French Revolution left its mark, plunging the Désert de Retz into oblivion.

Thanks to the Chambourcy town council, a wind of rebirth blew in 2009, after two centuries of disuse. Here, we discover fabriques inspired by Chinese, Oriental and antique styles, punctuating our tour.

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Iconic figures such as Marie-Antoinette, the Countess du Barry, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson have walked these grounds. You'll discover the destroyed 25-metre column, the ruined Gothic church, the temple of the god Pan, the Pyramide Glacière, the Tartar tent and the obelisk. A discovery that, we assure you, will not leave you indifferent.

The 2026 Heritage Days program at the Désert de Retz

• A Journey Through Time at the Retz Desert

  On the occasion of European Heritage Days, the Désert de Retz opens its doors for a genuine time-travel experience! On the agenda: antique wooden games, a kite-making workshop, a tour of the orchard and beehives at the Désert de Retz, fashion under Napoleon III, etiquette and laundry care in the 19th century, and two chamber concerts...

  In partnership with the Le Désert de Retz association, Jardin des Lumières.

  Participation conditions: Free | No reservation required

  Hours: Sunday, September 20, 2026 – 10:00 to 18:00