Château de Germolles Château de Germolles is situated in Burgundy , not far from Beaune and Chalon - sur - Saône . It is the best preserved residence of the Dukes of Burgundy . Built during the second part of the 14th century , this château is important for the history of the region . Furthermore it is a rare example of such a well preserved residence in France in the 14th and the beginning of the 15th centuries , when most of the princely palaces of that period have almost entirely disappeared . This exceptional site evokes court life in France on the eve of the Renaissance . It has been listed as a Historic monument since 1989 . History . Origins : the stronghold of the seigneurs of Germolles . The site of Germolles was occupied from the 13th century by a stronghold built by the local feudal lords of the manor : the seigneurs of Germolles . In the 2nd half of the 14th century , their financial situation was so critical that they had to sell the domain of Germolles which was purchased by the Duke of Burgundy , Philip the Bold . We know very little about the appearance of the fortress of the lords of Germolles . It certainly had large towers and solid walls with only a few windows . All that remains of the original building are the lower chapel and the wine cellar . Country estate of Philip the Bold and Margaret of Flanders . In 1380 Philip the Bold , first Duke of Burgundy of the new royal Valois dynasty in France after the Capetian dynasty came to an end , purchased the domain of Germolles . After one year he gave it to his wife , the duchess Margaret of Flanders . Important and expensive transformations were immediately undertaken . They lasted for the next ten years . The aim of the duchess was to transform the austere and archaic fortress of the 13th century into a country estate . In order to achieve this , she enlisted the help of artists working in the service of the ducal couple : the architect Drouet de Dammartin , the sculptors Jean de Marville and Claus Sluter and the painter Jean de Beaumetz . These artists worked at the same time on another important project of the Duke : the chartreuse de Champmol . The residence was slowly transformed into a sumptuous country estate . The large rectangular building , surrounded by a moat enclosed a courtyard . The apartments were situated in the south and east wings while the west wing contained receptions rooms and the north wing was for the guards and security staff . The duchess of Burgundy , energetic and a country lover , decided to develop at Germolles some rustic activities that would create a pleasant environment around her favourite residence , as well as developing local agriculture and providing some income for the maintenance of the domain . So she planted a large rose garden and the petals were sent to Flanders to be used to make rose water . Similarly a model sheepfold was built that reflected not only the duchess ’ s interest in sheep but also the important contribution of that animal , through its wool , to the fortune of Flanders , in Burgundy . The King Charles VI of France was received at Germolles on 12 February 1389 , at the invitation of his aunt and uncle . After the ducal period . After Philip the Bold and Margaret of Flanders , the château belonged to the following three Dukes of Burgundy : John the Fearless , Philip the Good and Charles the Bold . After the death of Charles the Bold in Nancy in 1477 , the château became a possession of the King of France . Used by various families courtesy of the King until the end of the 18th century , the château was sold to the Nation after the French Revolution . Different kinds of destruction , voluntary or accidental , due in particular to the lack of maintenance , led to the loss of certain parts of the building . The château was purchased at the end of the 19th century by the same family who still own it . Today it is open to visitors throughout most of the year , and a programme of cultural events takes place annually . Description . Remains of the original fortress . Two elements date from the first period of Germolles ( 13th century ) . They are still conserved because they were integrated into the project of transformation in a ducal palace . The large wine cellar used for the storage of wine and food has conserved its medieval appearance with modern gothic next to traditional Burgundian romanesque elements . The lower chapel has similar architecture but has sculptured decoration with both romanesque reliefs and gothic foliage . The two towers at the entrance to the château certainly date from the original building but were reused and reinforced in the 14th century . Even if during the ducal period the château was no longer a fortress , the importance of the rulers of the place required the presence of an escort confined to the châtelet comprising the towers and the guard room . Sumptuous princely palace . The reception room above the cellar was used in the 14th century to receive important guests . It was destroyed by a fire at the beginning of the 19th century but the remains indicate its original size . The south wall of the room was decorated with a monumental fireplace on top of which was a gallery for the musicians . The remains of this fireplace were removed in the 20th century to the great hall of the present château . It is adorned with capitals from the workshop of Claus Sluter representing a scene of Chrétien de Troyes ’ s novel , " Yvain , the Knight with the Lion " . Today archaeological discoveries made in the château are displayed in the reception room . The château still has a large collection of medieval floor tiles that decorated the floors of the 1st and 2nd floors of the ducal residence . Made of enamelled terracotta , they are decorated with motifs such as daisies , lions that are the symbols of the rulers of the place as well as roses , thistles , sheep , suns , fleur - de - lis etc . Ducal chapel . The duchess ’ s architect created , above the old lower chapel , a ducal chapel . This is composed of a nave , as well as a architecture installed in the elegant octagonal turret built as a bartizan and a private and comfortable oratory with its own fireplace . It was reserved for the devotions of the princess . At the end of the 19th century a fire destroyed this exquisite part of the building which was then exposed to the elements . In 2009 – 2010 , restoration work under the supervision and with the financial support of the government and the Department of Saône - et - Loire , was carried out to restore the roof and top part of the turret and recreate the sense of the space of the nave with a modern protection . Main building and the luxurious comfort of the court of Burgundy . Today the main building is separated from the rest of the château that surrounded the courtyard . It is certainly the most remarkable part of the château . It is particularly well preserved with elements showing the quality of the construction : large windows opening to the outside , turrets with internal spiral staircases cut in stone , gothic fireplaces . . . Its three floors are the architectural manifestation of the brilliant court of the duke and duchess : the ground floor was used for domestic activities , the first floor contained the ducal apartments and the second , the court apartments . In one of the kitchens on the ground floor , the large gothic fireplace still in its original position evokes the activities of the place . Gothic Revival architecture wall paintings with rose motifs were revealed during recent restoration work carried out in at the beginning of the 20th century . On the first floor , the dressing room of Margaret of Bavaria ( daughter in - law of the ducal couple and future duchess of Burgundy ) , still possesses its murals that have been recently restored . These paintings by Jean de Beaumetz and his assistant Armoult Picornet are very rare examples of princely wall paintings in France at the end of the Middle Ages . The motifs P and M , initials of the duke and the duchess , cover the walls , along with thistles , a noble flower with sharp prickles which is the emblem of Margaret of Flanders . This decoration which extended to the floor ( with floor tiles showing thistles ) can be found as well in the adjoining room . Cleaning has revealed wall paintings similar to those in the dressing room . Other wall paintings with roses and daisies have been discovered in other apartments on the first floor . The garret or rooms under the timbers on the second floor were for the court that accompanied the ducal couple . The ceiling built as an inverted hull of a ship was panelled and the walls were decorated with tapestries . One of these rooms , restored at the beginning of the 20th century is covered with copies of wall paintings from originals of the first floor . Gardens to accompany the ducal residence . The garden created by Margaret of Flanders and the large rose garden have disappeared . Transformed into a romantic English garden at the end of the 19th century , the park has some charming spots with old and rare trees such as a Bald Cypress , a Tulip tree from Virginia , a gingko biloba , an araucaria , and groups of lime trees .