Montfranc
A family property anchored in the history of Sologne
The first historical references to Montfranc date back to the 15th century. This property belonged to the “d’Orleans” family and was passed on by succession for several centuries. It was sold in 1820 by Madeleine d’Orléans to the Knight Edouard-François de Laage de Meux who devoted himself for twenty-five years to the reclamation of the Sologne lands both by planting fir trees and by irrigation works. This earned him the rank of Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur.
His successor Alfred de Laage undertook important works in Montfranc between 1845 and 1878. It is to him that we owe the plan of this so aesthetic complex that we still see today and which has been preserved and maintained with care from generation to generation within the Laage family.
Canal de la Sauldre
The Canal de la Sauldre crosses Montfranc and is accessible on foot from the gîte.
The Sauldre canal was conceived in the 19th century with the aim of improving agriculture in Sologne by allowing marl (a natural mixture of limestone, sand and clay to improve the soil which was too acidic) to be transported by boat via a “small navigation” canal. It was also to be used for the irrigation of the meadows by water loaded with marl, and the drainage of the Sologne, very wet in many places.
With a length of a little more than 46 km, this canal connects Lamotte-Beuvron to Blancafort and is dotted with 21 locks including that of Montfranc.
In the years following its completion, the Sauldre Canal experienced intense activity from 1874 onwards, but the arrival of the railroad and the development of new agricultural techniques resulted in a relatively rapid decline in its activity until 1941.
The canal is now non-navigable but the towpath, largely transformed into a hiking trail, attracts more and more tourists, seduced by the calm and charm of the Sologne landscapes it crosses.
Canal de la Sauldre
The Canal de la Sauldre crosses Montfranc and is accessible on foot from the gîte.
The Sauldre canal was conceived in the 19th century with the aim of improving agriculture in Sologne by allowing marl (a natural mixture of limestone, sand and clay to improve the soil which was too acidic) to be transported by boat via a “small navigation” canal. It was also to be used for the irrigation of the meadows by water loaded with marl, and the drainage of the Sologne, very wet in many places.
With a length of a little more than 46 km, this canal connects Lamotte Beuvron to Blancafort and is dotted with 21 locks including that of Montfranc.
In the years following its completion, the Sauldre Canal experienced intense activity from 1874 onwards, but the arrival of the railroad and the development of new agricultural techniques resulted in a relatively rapid decline in its activity until 1941.
The canal is now non-navigable but the towpath, largely transformed into a hiking trail, attracts more and more tourists, seduced by the calm and charm of the Sologne landscapes it crosses.
