Château du Bois Gamats

Château du Bois Gamats, on the edge of Laval in the Mayenne department, pairs a medieval pedigree with one of the more dramatic footnotes of the 1944 liberation of France. The estate remains privately owned, though its former farm buildings now host a small donkey-and-goat operation open to visitors.

Who built Bois Gamats, and how old is it?

A residence has stood on this spot since the 12th century, taking its name from the family that held the land until the end of the 15th century. Ownership then passed through several hands before Jacques Marest and his wife Jeanne Audouin acquired it in the second half of the 16th century. From the 1630s the Lefebvre de la Faluère family settled in permanently and would shape the estate for generations.

What gave the château its current appearance?

A 19th-century rebuild

Most of what visitors see today dates from a 19th-century reconstruction commissioned by Agathe Lefebvre de la Faluère and her husband, Léopold de Quinemont. Local architect Eugène Boret redesigned the main building, giving it the stately profile it still carries. Earlier in its history the property also served practical purposes, running a flour mill and serving as a post for collecting the salt tax.

Why is the château linked to the liberation of Paris?

The estate's most striking chapter came during the Second World War. German staff officers occupied the château from 1940 to 1944, using it as a command post. That changed abruptly once Laval was freed: on 7 August 1944, General Omar Bradley set up his own headquarters there. Two weeks later, on 22 August, General Philippe Leclerc arrived at Bois Gamats to ask Bradley for authorization to advance on Paris — permission Bradley granted that same evening. General George Patton also passed through the château around this time.

What can visitors find at Bois Gamats now?

The château itself stays closed to the public and carries no official heritage-listing protection, though it is recorded in the regional inventory of cultural heritage for the Pays de la Loire. What draws day-trippers today is the Asinerie du Bois Gamats, a small farm on the grounds where donkeys and goats can be visited up close.

Frequently asked questions

Can you go inside the château? No. It is a private residence, and only the surrounding grounds and the donkey farm are open to the public.

Why does Bois Gamats come up in accounts of the liberation of Paris? Because General Leclerc met General Bradley here on 22 August 1944 to secure approval for the advance on the French capital, and Bradley agreed before the day was out.

Is the château a protected historic monument? No formal classification exists, though the building is documented in the Pays de la Loire region's cultural heritage inventory.

How far is the château from central Laval? It sits on the outskirts of the city, close to Laval's airport, only a short drive from the town centre.