From Cheverny to Moulinsart, it's just one stroke of the pen... of genius!
The Château de Moulinsart, with its perfect symmetry and the luminous sobriety of its façade, is a landmark in the mind of every reader of The Adventures of Tintin: the home port of Captain Haddock and his friends, it is present or mentioned in 10 of the 24 albums. Some Tintinophiles quickly wanted to know whether the Captain's home had been imagined by Hergé based on a real castle, and questioned the artist. Hergé was quick to reply:
"Moulinsart Castle was inspired by the central part of Cheverny Castle."
Hergé, 1975.
Indeed, during the inter-war period, Hergé was looking for a model for the future Château de Moulinsart, which appeared for the very first time, in 1942, in Le Secret de La Licorne.
, which he stripped of its wings, but whose classical architecture matched his clear line technique so perfectly.
Also found in the illustrator's files was a tourist brochure for Cheverny, attesting to the connection, if any were needed. The cover of the brochure reveals a discreet pencil sketch: Tintin and Haddock walking towards the elegant building. It's just a fleeting glimpse, a preparatory shot for a now-famous scene.
Cheverny will gain distinguished guests: Tintin, Snowy, Captain Haddock and Nestor, but will lose its name and its two wings.
L'exposition "Les Secrets de Moulinsart"
The story continues.
Thanks to a contact with the Fondation Hergé in 1996, the permanent exhibition " Les Secrets de Moulinsart " was created in the outbuildings of Cheverny in 2001.
This 700m2 interactive exhibition plunges visitors into the heart of Tintin's adventures, with life-size reproductions of the main rooms of Moulinsart and Professor Calculus's laboratory.
A shop dedicated to Tintin and his friends
Since 2022, a new shop dedicated to the world of Tintin has also opened its doors, and extends the magic of the visit to the exhibition " Les Secrets de Moulinsart ".
Tintinophiles young and old will find collectors' items, as well as the entire works of Hergé and a wide selection of clothes, videos, books, figurines, cuddly toys, school supplies, watches and many other objects bearing the effigy of Tintin, Snowy, Haddock and their friends.