Saumur is a small town in the Loire valley standing at the confluence of the Tue river . This is a charming corner of France between Angers and Tours, surrounded by vineyards and filled with tourists who travel through the Loire Valley, studying castles and trying the famous local wines . In the town there are barely 30 thousand . residents, and all the local natives could be called typical provincials - hospitable, contented, conservative, if not for one exception . It was in Somura that the incomparable Coco Chanel was born . True, Gabriel Bonther Sha neel lived in the city from birth only about a year . And thanks to the secrecy and coquetry of the great Coco and the exact dates, and the place itself for a long time remained in doubt .
The atmosphere of the city is still bourgeois, a bit complacent, serene. Saumur obviously likes himself and is ready to please his guests. Urban landscapes with creamy houses under gray roofs enliven the outlines of the Saumur castle, the valleys with vineyards stretch from the outskirts, and the French themselves sometimes call the whole land around the city the heart of the country - so generous and full of life
How to get to Saumur
There are regular buses from Angers several times a day to Saumur (the journey time is about an hour and a half). You can also travel by train from Angers in half an hour or from Tours in less than an hour (trains run every hour from both cities)
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- Write an opinion about local wines prepared with a "soft" sparkling method: white grape varieties Shenin-blanc, sometimes with addition of chardonnay or savinon blanc; as well as pink and red.
- Be sure to go to the castle of Monsoreau, which is downstream of the Loire, about 12 km from Saumur. It was here that the romantic and dramatic events of the novel of Count de Bussy and the Countess of Monsoreau developed, which A. Dumas shamelessly perverted in his book.
- On the way to the castle, turn into the village of Parnet, which is directly on the highway. The main pride of the village - dried apples, and you can not only buy them for future use, but also visit the underground museum of these with an excursion. Well, or more traditionally buy sparkling red "Saumur-Champigny" from the cellars of the castle Marsonnay.
A little history
The heart around which the city grew and the central tourist attraction in Saumur is, of course, a large white stone castle on the hill . Its outlines seem vaguely recognizable to those who are interested in medieval fortresses: the image of the castle in the Magnificent Duke Berry's watch-book became a kind of postcard back in the Middle Ages . The history of the castle, as usual, begins with a fortress of the 10th century and a monastery .In the 14th century, the castle itself was placed on the castle by King Louis I himself, under whose order a strong fortress was adorned, making it more secular, but in the 14th century a new capital restructuring was made . In the 15th century, the duke of Anjou settled in the castle, in 16 - Henry of Navarre, the same "Henri the fourth" from the song (and from the books . Dumas) . It was here that Henry fled from Paris from the court of Valois and in a hurry again turned the castle into a powerful fortification to protect himself from his enemies . By 17 The role of Saumur in the history of the country ceased to be significant, and the castle began to contain prisoners noble bloodlines . And in the 20th century the city bought the castle from the government and carried out a large-scale restoration .
Today, paying a little more, visitors can not only climb the tower, but also go down to the former casemates in the dungeons. And on the upper floors of the castle are two museums: it is a museum of decorative and applied art with a fine collection of tapestries and porcelain dishes and a cavalry museum on the floor above. It is interesting to see the old details of harness from different countries
For a quarter of a century, since the middle of the 18th century, the Academy of Cavalry was in Saumur, and later the Academy of the Armed Forces . Strangely enough, it gave a good push in the development of the city, depopulated and decayed after the Huguenot wars . Carabineers opened a riding school in the city, which became very popular, and since that time the cavalry was on a special account in the city . During the Second World War it was the cadets- cavalrymen, many of whom were not yet twenty, valiantly, although not for long defending the city . For the courage with which the city resisted the Germans, Saumur was awarded the Military Cross .
Entertainment, excursions and attractions of Saumur
The oldest church in the city - Notre Dame- de-Nantilly, the main city church for centuries . Today the church has a winter garden, and inside it there is an interesting collection of tapestries . Also among the churches of the city stands Saint-Pierre in Gothic style, decorated with many images of monsters in the Old Town . Near church on there are several noteworthy restored half-timbered buildings . Interesting and North Dam-de-Ardi in the east, whose dome was damaged by bombardments in 1940 ., but now restored . Other historical landmarks of the city are medieval Gothic The 16th-century town hall and the almost half-kilometer arch of the Sessar bridge across the Loire, built in the 18th century .
Definitely a very popular place in Saumur - the Wine House, where you can not only try it, but also find out where in the city to buy wines of that or foreign th class, and where - to sit in the evening in a pleasant company. Well, if you really intend to make the fullest impression of the wine riches of the region, you should go south to the suburb of Saint-Cyr-en-Boer, where there is a wine cooperative with cellars of enormous size and capacity.
You can touch the cavalry past in The National Riding School, which is in the east of Saumur. At school, you can go with an excursion, look at the stables, and in the morning and see the horses on the dressage. Also in the eastern part of the city there is a museum of tanks (historically it is believed that the tank units also belong to the cavalry)
A couple of kilometers south of the city is the village of Saint-Hilaire-Saint-Florent, wine cellars. They are worth a visit in order to taste and buy an excellent Shumur brut. And at the same time - go to the museum of masks, which is very popular with children, and the museum of mushrooms - the latter arranges interesting excursions to the mushroom underground caves, where more than half of the champignons come to the cuisine of French gourmets. And literally a few steps away is the park of the mock architecture "Stone and Light."
By the way, the caves of the region are a very popular attraction . The limestone hills of the Loire Valley were easily dyed, forming many chambers in low rocks . These chambers served as a dwelling only to primitive people, but also to the medieval inhabitants of the region: in the 12th century up to half of the local people used them as natural houses, and so many of the caves remained up to the period between the two wars . The most famous "cave" place of the region is Roshme Le . Coming here, you will be surprised at how much the French businesslike transformed these places: in the caves of the restaurants and cafés, there is a chapel, is kept wine stocks and wine press, bred mushrooms and squeeze oil .
Other interesting caves nearby are a semi-underground zoo and a serpentarium near Doué-la-Fontaine and Denez-sous-Duet, engraved on the walls by numerous human figures, not always in decent positions (though not prehistoric, but created sectarians in the 16th century in the order of a cynical mockery of Catholic doctrine). You can see everything at once by ordering an organized tour of the so-called "troglodyte path."
And to the southeast of Saumur, about 13 km away, is the abbey of Fontevra, remarkable for the fact that in its territory are buried the kings of France, and England . The abbey was founded in 1100 g ., and here lie the Plantagenet: Henry II, king of France, and Richard the Lionheart, his son . in the course of the abbey tour you can explore not only with amazing burial expressive sculptures, but also a Gothic refectory, a hall for meetings with wall paintings of the 16th century and an interesting octagonal kitchen . Nowadays the abbey is the most famous cultural and medieval archaeological center, and conferences, exhibitions and concerts are constantly held here .
Book popular hotels in Saumur at the best prices
| Hôtel St Pierre from 6,128 rubles Saumur 8 Rue Haute Saint-Pierre | Anne D'anjou Hôtel from 6,128 rubles Saumur 32 Quai Mayaud | Mercure Bords Loire Saumur from 5,371 rubles Saumur Rue Du Vieux Pont |
| Les Terrasses De Saumur & Spa from 5 164 rubles Saumur Chemin de l'Alat. - St Hilaire St Florent | Campanile Saumur from 3 374 rubles Saumur Carré de Bournan | Kyriad Saumur Center from 3 787 rubles Saumur 23 Rue Daille |
| Inter -Hotel Le Londres - Hôtel & Appartements from 4 751 rubles Saumur 48 rue d'Orléans | Cristal Hotel from 3 443 rubles Saumur 10, 12 Place de La Republique | Hôtel Le Canter from 3,374 rubles Saumur 1 Place de La Sénatorerie |