HISTORIC GIF ESTATE

Classified as a bird sanctuary, the Gif estate is also a reserve for researchers! The Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) was established in 1946 on this site. Today, it is home to nearly 1,320 people, including 290 researchers and 620 engineers and technicians. The site is organized into four areas: cell biology, structural and proteomic biology, functional genomics and chemistry and pharmacology. The Button estate, on which this complex is based, is historical: it was acquired in 1657 by Pierre III de Merault. His grandson Claude, lieutenant to King Louis XV, had a castle built there worthy of his position in the 1750s; it was the architect Pierre Desmaisons who drew the plans; the 67-hectare park was built on the plans of Pillet, emulated by Le Nôtre. The work was not completed until 1771, by a cousin of the late Claude de Merault. The CNRS bought the castle in 1946, as well as the furniture that furnished it, and undertook to keep the estate as it was. In recent years, the public has been able to visit the site on Heritage Days. Since then, regulars have been giving each other the word to visit the place, so make a note of the date beforehand, and arrive early in the morning!