So pleased to witness a little of true French history and ownership of a magical Chateau estate beautifully narrated by a gracious charming lady.

what a beautiful Chateau! I'm glad the original family are still looking after it!!

It's always amazing to see families able to maintain their heritage.

Thank you Countess for showing us your historic Chateau. It is very beautiful and I am so glad that is being restored and your family still occupies it.

What an honor to have Barbara de Nicolay give us a tour of her home!! The chateau is beautiful. Everywhere you look is amazing!!! The Studio room is stunning! The gardens are lovely. The landscaping is superb!! Love from Vermont

What a beautiful chateau. She is a gracious hostess.

I have a book where this beautiful chateau is displayed with a few other splendid chateaux. It’s author is Christians De Nicolay- Masery. Le Lude was portrayed in all its splendour & pictures of the grand salon & library & other rooms are exquisite. It does mention the current owner Barbara De Nicolay when she was a young bride & her mother-in-law Comtesse Rene De Nicolay. So it was a pleasant surprise to come across this channel on KZfaq & listen to Barbara De Nicolay tell us about her beautiful home.

How fascinating. The chateau is a history capsule, an unbroken ribbon running through the family’s past and present. I love it when they live, are not just museums. The ceiling of the studio looks a bit in the style of the Limbourg brothers, of the Très Riches Heures which I am obsessed with. Thank you to the Comtesse de Nikoläy.

Beautiful - you get the impression that the thread of history has not been broken in this home. A lot of historic homes which have been restored and re-furnished can look great, but they have a slightly museum-like quality, a lot of the time. This house, somehow, feels intact and authentic. It's wonderful to see such a survival in our time, and to know that it is in the hands of people who will care for it and keep it going for future generations to enjoy.

What a magical place! It is heartwarming to learn this remains a family home, who has taken on the responsibility of preserving its history and graciously opens their estate to the public. Well done!

Madame la comtesse, votre anglais vous honore ! La qualité de votre expression est un bonheur pour la prof d'anglais que je suis ! Et en tant que passionnée de châteaux, je vous remercie de nous avoir permis de découvrir votre magnifique demeure.

Absolutely stunning and the fact that it has stayed in the family is fantastic. How much pride from above that your ancestors must have in your family for preserving and restoring this magnificent home.

Dear Barbara, thank you for wonderful tour in your chateau, I should be a pleasure to live in such amazing castle. I admire the fact that your family lives in this castle for so many years and keep your home in original shape. It's just wonderful when a family carefully preserves the traditions and heritage of their ancestors.

Потрясающе! Сохранить, содержать это огромный труд и любовь к истории и к своим предкам!

A splendid chateau, which we visited in May of 2022; as luck would have it, we had the place to ourselves---and we had a chance to meet the wandering Pila, who caught a baby bird, and showed us her prize.Thank you for opening your home to the world, so we can admire, learn and enjoy the beauty of France...

What a honour to have such a private tour! Thank you.

Thank you Mme de Nicolay. I was hoping to see the old kitchens and we did get a glimpse. The chateau is beautiful, the gardens spectacular, and such history. A visit is on my bucket list.

What a beautiful chateau. To live in a place where your ancestors lived for hundreds of years is amazing. The library was massive but I love seeing your dog following his/her human around. Thank you for taking the time to share your home with us

What a beautifully preserved castle. I love the staircase especially. Thank you to the lovely intelligent lady for giving us the wonderful tour!

БлагоДарю,ГРАФИНЯ!Великолепный дворец!

You are surviving regardless of the turmoil that this increadable palace has been through. That is a wonderful thing xx ❤

Your home is breathtaking, so beautiful and historic. The gardens are so well kept. Nothing say's this is my home like the family dog following your around the house, it is a living home. Thanks for the tour.

Студила абсолютно прекрасна! Волшебное помещение!))) И мадам графиня очень увлекательно рассказывает. Видно, что ей искренне нравится это место!

What a magnificent history this castle/palace has to offer!

Чудесный замок и чудесная хозяйка замка. Прекрасно сохранились старинные интерьеры. Очень красиво.

I must interrupt your tour to comment that you are amazingly charming and well spoken... ma... you are living in a priceless and perfectly preserved museum. This is really crazy! A wonderful and magical place. Merci bien.

A living, breathing French Castle!…. The hidden gems one will find on KZfaq are simply amazing!

Dear Barbara. I am enthralled by your magnificent home. I must admit that Renaissance Style is not my most favorite, but once you entered the triple drawing rooms from the 18th Century I was astounded!! The middle green drawing room is absolutely one of the loveliest rooms I have ever seen. The chandelier is magnificent. Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful home.

Очень приятно смотреть такое великолепие, а еще приятно, что этот замок не зазрушен временим, а наследники с любовью и уважением к их предкам востонавливают это великолепие. Молодцы, что такую красату сохронили для потомков, вам респект! С уважением к вам из России!

My congratulations on your stunning properties. So wonderful to see a living, breathing home steeped in such history!

What a magnificent chateau! So historic, and so beautifully preserved.

Great to see these centuries old cultural monuments entering the digital age, so the entire world can see them and learn a little bit more about human history!

What a treat to have this wonderful lady give us a tour of her SPECTACULAR Chateau! What class! Thank you for making us feel important and welcome. If I ever get to France, I will come to see it, because it is the most beautiful chateau I have ever seen. The chandeliers, the views & the garden, out of this world! The lady is beautiful to match😉

It´s very nice to see that family is still living in the Chateau and it´s so well kept and taken care of. Amazing place! Greetings from Sweden! And thank you for the tour.

Thank you Madame de Nicolay for a fascinating tour of your lovely and elegant home. Thanks also for preserving this beautiful place for future generations. ❤️❤️❤️

Merci beaucoup Madame Nicolay, pour la merveilleuse visite du château de votre famille. C’est magnifique!

Thank you, Marquise de Nicolay for this tour. i see the influence of Blois and Chambord in the architecture. Your restorations are to be commended. The studiolo is wonderful and I like the mixture of English and French gardens. Hope to visit someday.

Absolutely amazing gardens! Your home is elegant and classically beautiful. You are very gracious for allowing us to view it. Thank you.

Thanks Olivier for uploading this video showcasing one of the best fully restored chateau du lude(private mansion) of the Loire valley and it was really special to be given an entire tour by the owners! Loved watching it and will surely visit the place on my visit to France!

Merci, madame la comtesse, pour votre élégance et votre charme - une vraie aristocrate française. Your home is magnificent - and so beautifully cared for, and presented. Such a wealth of furniture and furnishings, quite apart from the architectural developments of the building over the course of history. Even the fact that you continue to use your title is an essential part of that story. Avec mes remerciements.

Lovely lady and spectacular gardens.

Thank you for this lovely tour of this amazing home!

Thank you Countess de Nicolaÿ. Loved the history of the chateau, your family and the background of the French and English conflicts and the majesty of the chateau. Very well done!

One of the most authentic and beautiful chateaus I have seen on you tube ,thank you for sharing would love to visit

Very beautiful!

You are one, very fit woman to traverse all those stairs and grounds!👍🏻💐

C'est absolument incroyable! Quelle chance et quelle fortune, c'est splendide !!!

Thank you for sharing your lovely home with us.

This is such an extraordinarily beautiful château seeping with history . Thank you for the tour.

Thanks for the wonderful tour of your home and castle. I can't imagine the dedication it takes to maintain such a castle. You are a very interesting women to listen to.

Спасибо вам,что храните историю,это очень трудно.но благодаря вашим трудам мы это можем видеть

Thank you for sharing it with us. I wish it will last forever in your generation.

What a place. Stunning. She seems like a very gracious lady.

Not only the absolutely magnificent home, but Countess Barbara De Nicolay is a national treasure. Superb presentation and bouquets to the production 'artists'.

Muy sencilla y elegante la condesa. Qué palacio !!

Absolutely magical! Thank you for the tour. I am fascinated with the idea that all of your family generations have managed to preserve the integrity of the castle (at least what can be seen). Truly, truly remarkable.

What a magnificent historic home, we are priviledged to enjoy being led by Countess de Nicolay and her attentive dog who was brought from Cornwall, to tell a tiny bit of the history of Chateau du Lude. The gardens are stunning..one wishes to spend days imagining what it was like to live during times when the Chateau would have bee a hub of hunts, parties, meetings. Looking forward to learning more about Chateau du Lude and its history. Thank you.

What a privilege to be shown around your beautiful home. The studiolo was incredible. Your love for the place comes over so well and I hope you have a lot of visitors to appreciate it.

Many thanks for sharing the Château.

Vraiment magnifique, une richesse patrimoniale extraordinaire Merci Madame pour cette très belle et gracieuse visite

This marvellous castle alone brings together the different styles of construction over several centuries. Congratulations to you and your family Madame.

OMG ... You and your garden and your lab are wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing your heritage. Just wonderful.

Amazing! Puts reality to history and those historical movies!

What a charming Lady, and such a beatiful house.

So beautiful. The art work, the architecture, the history and the gardens are wonderful and quite fascinating.

Thank you for welcoming us to this extraordinary place.

It was amazing visiting this lovely place with the owner the Countess Barbara de Nicolay, very nice lady. Thanks!

Incredibly beautiful.Bravo for maintaining it so well 👍

Мило и наличие детских кроваток радует глаз😊

Thankyou very much for the tour. Fascinating! What a beautiful place full of such a deep sense of history.

Wonderful place! And being taking care of with a lot of passion!

Stunning. Merci Countess for sharing it with us!

You are a wonderful guide of your beautiful home thank you !

Magical part of the world and a charming, informative lady

A beautiful chateau and a gracious host combined with the fog rolling through the gardens gave it that extra magical feel

Barbara, thank you for the tour. My husband and I went to the Loire Valley some years ago... and visited other chateau's. Yours is a gem. Congratulations.

Thank you for a tour of your beautiful home.

Thank you. Beautiful, classy, elegant lady…presenting a beautiful mega castle. 🙂👋🙂👼

A stunning lady! There is often a reason for a family acquiring wealth and power and she has that characteristic.

Loved the library! And the staircase, and ballroom!

The chateau is beautiful. What a magical place! C'est magnifique

So nicely cared for!

Beautiful home with lots of history. Hope you can keep it and maintain it as well! I like your place especially the garden.

How wonderful this woman is to show us this historic chateau.

What a fabulous tour and even more so given by the lovely lady of the house.❤

Thank you for sharing this beautiful, gracious lady and the beautiful chateaux with us!

Beautiful chateau.Thank you, Madame for tour...from HOMESTEAD, Florida USA.

Countess Barbara, what an amazing tour, thank you so much for sharing, this is simply marvelous . . . I am speechless here

Thankyou, for such a lovely tour and fascinating history of your Chateau,, Countess Nicolay. Absolutely gorgeous inside and out.

The owner and perfect hostess as perfect as her home, an incredible castle, and all her entourage!!!! Mme la Comtesse, nou vous remercions votre gentillesse!!!

Thank you so much for this tour!!! I love historical places and really enjoyed following you in this beautiful chateau! ❤Love from USA!

What a lovely hostess. She has the best interest of her estate as well as anyone who would be welcomed as a guest.

Stunning! Thank you for giving us a glimpse of your beautiful and historic home

Stunning chateau, steeped in history and the most amazing decor 🙂

What a magical place full of amazing history..the lady seem so humble and kind ❤

Absolutely lovely, see you in the spring🌷

Amazing, and just inspiring to see that some families and cultures are just as anxious to maintain their heritage.

Am so humbled to think that Marquise Barbara de Nicolay herself was so kind as to give this lovely tour! Such an amazing Chateau! Words escape to ever say how much this means to receive the history from her. To see the older and newer working together, as the home grew and changed and is still being updated is so very special. To hold the home for so many years by the same family can be so rare anymore. Everything fits so well together and to think this Chateau will go on for many more years with the same family, is even more amazing. It is hard to hold on to a Chateau anymore and many do need to have a bed and Breakfast just to be able to keep them. Everything, including heat keeps rising. But if anyone can do this it sure would be worth it, just to have an opportunity to live in this kind of Chateau and even much sweeter to say how you truly are related to this family, would be marvelous and anyone am sure would be more than pleased to continue on, if at all possible. Thank you for giving this wonderful tour and taking the time out of your busy life to allow others to understand more about your heritage and see this lovely Chateau in Loire Valley-France. Will not forget the Chateau de Lude and the opportunity to meet one of the owners and enjoy the history and the ability to understand more about Chateau living through the years. I agree about the Roses, that they are the best. I love them and only could desire the kind that would start in Spring and go through November as a rule. Lovely!!

Wonderful tour on history and walkabout. Thank you. I was surprised to see residential area to the one side of Chateau.

Мадам Николаи, спасибо! Спасибо, что познакомили с Вашим прекрасным замком -- действительно жемчужиной долины Луары, и спасибо, что храните его!... В России в царское время было семейство баронов Николаи. Это не ваши родственники? Они тоже владели прекрасным поместьем и великолепным парком, которые они и создали в XVIII -- XIX веках под городом Выборгом, и называется он Монрепо. Там сейчас музей, но эта собственность не возвращается наследникам, так как в России пока такого правила нет.