VLOG | Château de Saumur

The Château de Saumur is a castle located in the Loire Valley in the French commune of Saumur, in the department of Maine-et-Loire, at the confluence of the Loire and the Thouet. The castle was classified as a historic monument in 1862, and is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes-sur-Loire. Possession of the Counts of Anjou then the Plantagenets, it was transformed into a royal fortress at the beginning of the 13th century during the time of King Saint Louis. During the second half of the 14th century, Duke Louis I of Anjou (brother of King Charles V) transformed it into a sumptuous castle-palace. King René, last Duke of Anjou, resides there periodically. After his death in 1480 the castle returned to the royal domain. Until the end of the Ancien Régime, the building served as the residence of the city's various governors. The best known of them, Philippe Duplessis-Mornay, was appointed in 1589. The town of Saumur had just been granted to the Protestant party as a place of safety. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Château de Saumur also served as a prison for prisoners on letters of cachet and then from the 1780s prisoners of war (mainly British sailors). The building was spared by the Revolution. It was saved from the destruction to which its poor condition doomed it by the decision of Napoleon I to transform it into a state prison. Major works are adapting it to its future destination. But the political change linked to the Restoration of the monarchy once again modified its destiny. In 1814 it was assigned to the Ministry of War and became an arms and ammunition depot. The military left in 1889. The City then began discussions with the State to buy the castle with the aim of installing the municipal museum there. The acquisition was made in 1906. The restoration of the monument then began. In 1912 the partly restored monument was opened to the public. The municipal museum is located on the first floor of the north wing; the horse museum on the second floor. 00:00 Vineyard & Outer Courtyard 03:40 Inter Courtyard, Basement & Ground Floor 11:30 First Floor (Decorative Arts Collection) 18:15 Second Floor (Horse Collection) 24:25 Garden & Rampart