On the ground floor of the house, Paul Adrien Bourdaloue's room (30 m²) has oak parquet floors and woodwork. Antique furniture, neat and relaxing decoration, it is lit by 3 large windows. Very pleasant, for a short or long stay. Bed 160cm.
Paul Adrien Bourdaloue, born in Bourges in 1798 and deceased in Bourges in 1868, was a French engineer and topographer who proposed the first orthometric levelling system in France. He served as resident engineer for the Gard railway. From 1847 onward, he carried out the levelling of the area that would become the Suez Canal in Egypt.
There, he observed that the difference in sea level between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea was negligible—contrary to what Bonaparte’s engineers had believed.
In 1850, he presented his findings to the Académie des Sciences and was made a Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur.
He was also named a Chevalier of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus by the Duke of Savoy, Victor Emmanuel, King of Piedmont-Sardinia.
From 1857 to 1863, he was entrusted with conducting the general levelling of France. He created a network of baseline lines passing through all departmental capitals, materialized by a grid of 15,000 embedded cast-iron benchmarks—France’s first national levelling lines.
The reference datum for this system, the sea-level height at Marseille, was set by ministerial decree on 13 January 1860.
This datum became known as the “Bourdaloue zero.”
Bourdaloue also served as deputy mayor of Bourges. In 1865, he entrusted architect Tissandier with the design of the Séraucourt water tower in Bourges, which still stands today and now serves as a cultural venue.
Other rooms await you
An exceptional castle in the heart of emotions, near Bourges.
Welcome to our haven of peace, where the charm of yesteryear meets modern comfort. Enjoy a warm atmosphere, mixing vintage furniture, soft carpets and authentic parquet floors...
What a pleasure to share with you these delicious and chocolate-filled moments
At the edge of the pool or ponds, in the shade of large oaks or in front of the fireplace.
In the heart of a 100-hectare private forest, the Charnay estate houses the guest rooms of master chocolatier Daniel Mercier, Amélie’s house and the large bright rooms of the farmhouse.
L’hôtel de Panette
Proche de la Cathédrale de Bourges - Palais Jaques Cœur.
