In order to indulge his passion for hunting, François-Marie, son of the Duke of Vitry and Lord of Châteauvillain, had a six-kilometre stone wall built in 1655, reserving 272 hectares of forest at the eastern entrance to the town.
Over the years, game has thrived here, "shaping" the park to its liking.
The hundred or so fallow deer that live in the park have left certain species behind, allowing wolfsbane, poison ivy, jolibois and other highly colourful plants to develop, giving a highly unusual appearance to the forest landscape.
The Parc aux Daims is entered through the Porte Madame, one of the three gates to the town of Châteauvillain in the Middle Ages.
Le parc aux daims de Châteauvillain
