Bouges flowers

The Château Bouges was owned from 1917 until 1966 by a wealthy businessman, Henri Viguier, who also owned the famous Paris department store called Le Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville (le BHV). He and his wife lived at Bouges until she passed away in 1966. They restored, re-decorated, and re-furnished the château. He was the mayor of the village for decades. Viguier, who had no descendants, willed Bouges to the French government before he died at the age of 89 in 1967. The French organization now called the Centre des Monuments Nationaux, which opened it to the public, uses the proceeds from ticket sales to maintain the property.