Holidays in Le Berry

Le Berry is a rural region of great natural beauty, with a rich history and gastronomy right in the centre of France astride the regions of Cher and Indre. It is not surprising that its principal qualities are typically French !

Although today Le Berry is a peaceful region, whose inhabitants’ average age is relatively high compared to the rest of France, the old province played an important role in the history of France, particularly at the end of the Middle Ages when Charles VII, forced to flee by the English, settled in Bourges. The city has preserved a number of architectural masterpieces dating from this period including the 13th century Cathedral of Saint-Etienne, one of the finest Gothic cathedrals in France. 

Bourges owes its slate roofs and many of its remarkable buildings to Jacques Cœur, an extraordinary figure who was Grand Argentier (Master of the Mint) to Charles VII, but who ended up dispossessed of all his property. 

The Palais Jacques, the residence he had built in the 15th century in Late-Gothic style and a forerunner of Renaissance mansions, was doubtless responsible for arousing the jealousy of his rivals which ultimately led to his downfall.  Dotted with churches, abbeys and castles, the Berry countryside is steeped in both history and the natural qualities which make for fertile soil and efficient agriculture. Its rich and varied gastronomy reflects its inhabitants’ love of the land ; local specialities include patés, crottin de Chavignol goat’s cheese, green lentils and, of course, well-known fine wines such as Menetou-Salon and Sancerre.

Le Berry has been a mainly agricultural region since the end of the Middle Ages with a varied landscape of fields, woodland, rivers and streams, famously  depicted in ‘Le Grand Meaulnes’ by Alain-Fournier, the story of the real yet imaginary wanderings of two teenagers through the Berry countryside. Visitors will no doubt be surprised to find that the scenery has remained unchanged and the same magical aura is still present in the forests, lakes and ruined castles as at the beginning of the 20th century.  

 

The tranquil, rural Berry remains an enchanting region thanks to its widely diverse heritage which epitomises France so well. Although the province has not existed for administrative purposes since the French Revolution, its inhabitants perpetuate the history and traditions which make Le Berry a hospitable region full of character.