Menestreau: Holiday Apartments and Holiday Homes

Culture and History

The Château de Villiers in Ménestreau is listed as a historic monument and designated as both an archaeological site and a château. It was built in the 15th century and controlled the former Roman road to Entrains. The protected complex includes a chapel, agricultural buildings, stables, four round towers, and a moat that was filled in during the 19th century. The château is privately owned and cannot be visited.

The Church of Saint Peter in Ménestreau dates from the 19th century. The village’s central washhouse also dates from the 19th century and was a meeting place for the washerwomen. Ménestreau is also home to an old water mill on the banks of the Nohain.

The Sanctuary of Ménestreau is an archaeological site within the municipality of Ménestreau. A temple of Celtic tradition, known as a fanum, was discovered there. The sanctuary was used for Gallo-Roman religious purposes from the 1st century until the end of the 4th century AD; finds from the site are displayed at the Maison des Fouilles d’Entrains.

Nature

The Coteau des Grandes Herbes à Menestreau is designated as a type 1 ZNIEFF. It covers 24.7 hectares of dry limestone grassland and mesophilic margins with Céphalantère and Elléborine.

Ménestreau is one of the municipalities included in the ZNIEFF Massifs Forestiers, Pelouses Et Petites Vallées Au Nord Du Plateau Nivernais. This area is considered to be of regional importance because of its forests, meadows, ponds, streams, and the animal and plant species found there.

Things to Do

The Circuit des Ménestrins is a 19-kilometre hiking trail. It starts at the church square, is marked in yellow, and leads back to Ménestreau. The route heads towards Les Grandes Herbes and then through the forest to the village of Villiers. The trail passes by the Château de Villiers and then continues towards Ménestreau.

When planning a stay in Ménestreau, renting a holiday apartment may be worth considering.

More local pages: Decize, Préporché, Chaumard, Raveau, Tresnay, Montaron, Pouques-Lormes, Vauclaix.

Back to the main travel overview: Nièvre.