The Château de Haroué in Lorraine offers an illuminating case study of the issues surrounding recent heritage policy in France.
Sometimes known as the "Chambord lorrain", the Château was built by Germain Boffrand in the 1720s for Marc Beauvau-Craon, Prince de Craon, and has the indubitable distinction of having remained in his family ever since. It was first opened to the public in 1964.
The small village of Haroué (pop.500) is located just south of Nancy, near the border of Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. It is billed as within easy driving distance of Basel, Strasbourg and Karlsruhe - though, more problematically in terms of the tourist map, it is a solid 2.5 hours from Paris.
The proprietor and châtelaine, until her death in May 2023, was the splendid Princess Marie Isabelle ("Minnie") de Beauvau-Craon. We are reminded that in France "Princess" is only a courtesy title, but Minnie still boasted a direct line of descent from Duke Leopold's favourite. Her father, Marc - who died of a heart attack in 1982 - was the last Prince of Beauvau-Craon. Minnie, who resided partly in the U.K. for 35 years and spoke fluent English, had just the right combination of blue blood and affability to inspire affection in the readers of Vogue and The Tatler. In an interview with the New York Times in 2013 she expressed her deep commitment to the upkeep of the Château, "When you inherit something, you owe some respect to your forebearers"; "I'm determined to put life into Haroué. I want to put it on the map, to make it a destination" (See Reading).
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| Minnie de Beauvau-Craon, photographed for the New York Times in 2013 |
