France, one of the most beautiful châteaux of the Loire reclaimed thanks to a popular shareholding

Imagine a fairy-tale castle, standing in the middle of an island in the middle of a pond surrounded by a forest in the area of the Castles of the Loire, France: this is the Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers, an ancient manor built in the 13th century, then variously modified until the 19th century and, following a fire that devastated it in 1932, left in a state of neglect until 2016, when an association was formed with the aim of restoring its ruins. Some of it has already been opened to visits, in 2018, and thanks to the efforts of several local sponsors, major construction works have been started on the castle, but now that the bet of protection has been won, there is much more to be done, especially in terms of enhancement.

The idea was to complete precisely the castle enhancement project through crowdfuding, and the feat can be said to have succeeded: the association, through the Dartagnans platform, managed to hire as many as 9,206 “co-castellans” from 82 different countries, who donated in all the sum of 1.344,975 euros (and to think that the goal the association set for itself was much more modest: 350,000 euros), becoming shareholders in a special company (an SAS, or société par actions simplifiée, simplified joint stock company) set up to manage the Castle. And the donors, being at the same time shareholders of the SAS Château de la Mothe Chandeniers, will of course receive a share of the earnings from the activity. Thanks to this particular form of popular shareholding (a model that will surely be studied in the months and years to come) a major enhancement project will be initiated that will transform the castle’s surroundings into a tourist complex that will have a hotel, an exhibition space, a store, and a café.

The plan includes several stages: at the moment the first lot has been completed, with the rehabilitation of the castle area. The investment was 850 thousand euros, which served for the completion of the restorations, including those of the beautiful outdoor chapel immersed in the woods, for the reception area (the souvenir store, the information point, the ticket office), and for the creation of a parking lot. It will be continued in 2021 with the second lot, which will include, among other works, the construction of special ... tree houses. A part of the forest will become a kind of hotel in the middle of nature: there will be six modules that will be installed among the trees and will serve to accommodate tourists who want to stay overnight. The goal is to open the accommodation facility already by the end of this year.

Mothe-Chandeniers in a vintage photo

The castle grounds, with its park

A view of the castle at Mothe-Chandeniers

The tree houses

The project bears the signature of two Spanish designers, José Carlos Menasalvas Gijón and Cristina Jiménez Lima, whose concept A Midsummer Night’s Dream won the competition launched by the company managing the castle’s restoration. There is also a bit of Italy involved: in fact, the project will be carried out in collaboration with YAC - Young Architect Competitions, a company that promotes competitions of ideas and architecture aimed at young designers, based in Bologna. If all goes well, in July the first guests will already be able to sleep in the new tree houses. A different kind of tourism with the goal of saving a cultural asset that had fallen into disrepair.

Also planned for 2021 is the completion of the events area, while the third phase (2022-2023), will see the construction of a boutique, a traditional hotel, an exhibition space, and a space dedicated to shareholders. Another hotel will finally be built in phase 4 (2024-2025).

“The project we are proposing,” the organizers explain, “is to make the Mothe-Chandeniers Castle a unique and economically profitable tourist destination. After two years of work, we have the opportunity to analyze the full potential of this site. By becoming a shareholder, you are investing in an extraordinary project that combines a passion for heritage protection with economic development.” In 2020, the castle was visited by 16,500 visitors (12,000 paying, 4,500 free), but the idea is to reach nearly 70,000 in 2025 (including 61,875 paying and 6,000 free). According to the business plan, the Castle and tourist activities in the entire complex will generate a profit of 771,949 (projected income of 1.6 million and expenses of just over 800,000). Of course, the organizers do not fail to warn that the project, being an investment, also has risks (those of losing one’s capital if the site does not make a profit), but the minimum amount required to participate is low: one share sells for 79 euros. There is time until February 14 to become a shareholder: all info can be found on the project’s Dartagnans page. On the other hand, those who would like to learn more about the castle can visit its official website.

France, one of the most beautiful châteaux of the Loire reclaimed thanks to a popular shareholding

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