A famous American
monument known by all: the White House in Washington, DC.
Surprisingly,
the Dordogne is proud to boast its own White House, for those travelling to our
region: the Château of Rastignac in the “Bachellerie” village. This building is renowned for its façade
which is similar to the American White House’s South façade. The
architectural type is neoclassic.
Opinions and discussions
are varied, numerous and divided in regards to which one the two is the
original one and which is the copycat. The
construction of the Chateau of Rastignac, named after the aristocrat Marquis de
Chapt de Rastignac, was only a project in 1780, and the actual work began in
1812 to end in 1817. The architect’s
name is not so clear.
The story is the
following: Thomas Jefferson (American president from 1801 to 1809) was visiting
France and went to the Bordeaux Architecture Academy in 1789. It is likely he came across the Château of
Rastignac architect’s sketches- which construction work hadn’t started yet.
The White House
building work began in Washington in 1792.
Despite the
historians’ divided opinions, the Périgourdin claims with great pride that the
Château of Rastignac is indeed the real McCoy and the American White House is
only a mere copy of it. One thing is
certain: the two are very similar in their architectural features.
American
tourists visiting our Dordogne region don’t miss the opportunity to drive to the
« Bachellerie » to admire the famous facade, along with many other
visitors who are just as curious.
Today and since
2004, the Château of Rastignac has been restored in five spacious residential
apartments.
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