| Built at the junction of the Loire and the Thouet rivers, the former
Carolingian city is known for its fortifications built by Thibault, the
Count of Blois, in the 10th century. In 1026, the town passed into the
hands of the Count of Anjou, the famous Foulques Nera and then on to his
plantagenet heirs. Philippe Auguste, the King of France and a Capetian
brought into the hands of the crown.
 |
Whatever road you take to get to Saumur, it's the chateau that
you will appreciate first. After the fort became French, in 1227,
it was rebuilt by Saint Louis. After 1367, Louis I of Anjou began
replacing the round towers with polygonal shaped towers (these two
stages in its construction are still visible today). King René of
Anjou, " Bon roi René ", a cultivated man, talented writer and fortress
builder (Tarascon) improved the general level of comfort of the
entire building. In the 16th century, the Italian Bartolomeo strengthened
the fortifications of the chateau. Ahead of his time, he had fortifications
built around the medieval chateau that were low to the ground. These
bastions and "courtines" were built in a star shape that
was extremely modern for its time and a whole century before Vauban
did almost the same thing. In a less glorious time in its history,
the chateau became a prison under Louis XIV and Napoleon. At the
beginning of the 20th century, the city bought the chateau from
the State and began to renovate it progressively. |
 |
To
begin your visit to the chateau, you must start in the center of town-
place Saint Pierre with its beautiful 12th century church. A sloped street,
bordered with houses with wooden overhanging roofs, will take you to the
entrance to the chateau via the "fort" (a restaurant). All in
all it should take you about fifteen minutes. Or to make things easier,
there is a parking lot to the east of the Chateau which will take you
directly to the Bartolemo's bastions; a pretty bridge will take you across
the moat. Be sure and take a look at the
remarkable stone-lined ramp that leads to the châtelet, the beautiful
flamboyant Gothic staircase in the courtyard, the curious machinery of
the goods lift with its gears,
the oubliettes (!) and the superb view of the the town and the river.
Inside, there is a Decorative Arts museum as well as an Equestrian museum.
There is an entrance fee to the chateau and an additional fee for entrance
to the two museums.
Pirmil |
|
France :
