So ,we came to Angers, after all my boss was born here and always mentioning. My travel curiosity took me there and it was great! Let me tell you a bit about this is Angers !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
I just visited Angers, a city in the Maine-et-Loire dept 49 of the Pays de la Loire region. As said, came with the family for an introduction and like it. Of course, I have other posts on Angers on the main sights with pictures ,see posts. We , of course, went by car…, heading without paying tolls on the countryside for about 3 hrs driving from home to the parking in city center. We took the N165 to the beltway or péripherique around Nantes on the A844 and continue following all panels for Angers linking with the road D723 by Carquefou and onwards on the same road again direction Angers ,took briefly the D523 and then the D323 direction Angers/Paris until Angers centre ville and got up by the Parc République parking underneath the centre commercial Fleurs d’Eau on rue Plantagenêt. All day for 5,60€! It is located about 80 km from Nantes and 81 from Le Mans, 110 km from Rennes, and 265 km from Paris. Only at 123 km from the Atlantic ocean at Pornic and 143 km from the Manche in Normandy. Historical capital of the Anjou , birthplace of the Plantagenêt dynasty , and one of the intellectual centers of Europe in the 15C under the reign of the good king René.
Once we arrive out of parking we headed straight for the Château d’Angers, a wonderful building and a must see, plenty on it, we like the fact there is a restaurant inside! and the logis and chapel were recently renovated sparkling nice. We continue to the magnificent Cathedral Saint Maurice a jewel of a Church and another must see there, do try to climb the montée Saint Maurice stairs lovely view up and down. We love the tour Saint Aubin or tower in city center old town, and the Church Notre Dame des Victoires, Not to mention take a look at the Church St Laud near the train station and castle. And of course, the galerie David d’Angers , and the museum of Beaux-Arts or fine arts. And built in 1871 the Grand Théatre in the Place du Ralliement, is of the Haussmanian style ,and transformation of the Second Empire . You have the Hospital Saint-Jean d’Angers of hospital architecture located in the La Doutre neighborhood built back in 1180! With sick rooms of the gothic angevin style, built by the narrowest point in the river on a hill of schist. The house or maison d’Adam is very nice medieval house in wood and has two facades of 10 meters each on six floors located near the Cathedral taken its name from the historical Adam and Eve sculptured on the house with decoration of persons and animals.
The main green areas in the city are the Jardin des Plantes an English style garden around a stream bordered by shrubs and statues; the jardin du Mail,wide promenade with a model of a fountain shown at the Universal Exposition of 1855 and a French style garden and the parc de l’arboretum enclosing five gardens with different varieties of trees, flowers etc around 1500 species and 4300 trees. And last but not least, the library Toussaint has over 250K volumes of local heritage including psalms Caroligians from the middle of the 9C as well as 117 incunables where it has still ten in the world !, and the first printed book after the Bible of Gutenberg,in 1457. Printed in three colors blue, red and black. Just outside town in Marcé ,you have an aerodrome housing the regional museum of the airplane with several models of old light airplanes, it is at Angers-Marcé. Very nice place indeed but need a car.
We wandered about the town , just clean lovely, lively and young, full of life, very nice, the family like it. Of course, they have the usual Galeries Lafayette, FNAC stores as well as France Loisirs at the Palace, and great tea/coffee place at La Feve d’Or, and the gourmand will love La Gourmandise even with Spanish nougats !!! It has a wonderful train/bus terminal very modern and clean. I end up stopping by here on my business travels as well, and as with the family show them where I go by, fun and good! The train station is Gare Saint Laud, the junction with Tours at Saint Nazaire and Le Mans; this is the principal station getting the TGV fast train to Paris-Montparnasse, and Roissy CDG airport. Also, to Nantes. In town the bus network is done by Keolis and intercities by Anjoubus.
A bit of condense brief history I like tell us that it was or is known as the city of flowers , the city white or the city black as well as the Athens of the west. The Bretons and the Vikings made incursions here and ransacked the town by 845 and again in 852. After the battle of Jengland, Charles the Bold king of the Francs and Erispoë, Breton chief get together in 851 to signed the treaty of Angers that gives to the Bretons the country around Rennes, Nantes, and Retz fixing the limits of Brittany. Foulques le Roux, becomes Foulques Ier d’Anjou in 929 and creates the frist dynasty of counts fo Anjou :from 1060, the Plantagenêt dynasty takes the title of Count with Geoffroy III the bearded, grandson of Foulques Nerra. Leading an empire that goes from the Pyrénées to Ireland. The Empire collapsed in 1205 and Jean Sans Terre kept in France only the Duchy of Aquitaine. The blow is however severe because the king of England lost the flagship of his empire, Normandy, and his cradle, Anjou. Angers is therefore attached to the Kingdom of France Queen Blanche de Castille ordered built a fortress with a rampart of 3800 meters long on the two sides of the river ; the circle of ramparts in the lower empire starts by the 13C making the cité a military bastion that is closed to the laiques persons. By 1360, the county is raised to Duchy and Louis I becomes the first Duke of Anjou. By 1434 starts the reign of the good king René duke of Anjou ,Lorraine, Bar, Count of Provence , king of Naples and Jerusalem. He found in 1451 the convent of the Cordeliers, and he bequested at his death the tapestry of the Apocalypse to the Cathedral. In 1474, king Louis XI does a movement against the Good King René by coming to Angers as a friendly march with his army and camps outside ; the the king René too old to fight decides to give his kingdom without a fight and Anjou finally entered into the Royal domain. In 1619 ,king Louis XIII authorized Marie de Médicis to stayed at her court in Angers, and she comes to lived at the Logis Barrault; by 1620 there was the battle of Ponts-de-Cé between the allies of the king and those of the mother ; rapidly the treaty of Angers is done and the king accepts the return of his mother to the court of France. The war of the Vendée creates great damage and losses here with fighting between the revolutionary Republicans and the Vendéens royalists non stop to 1793; the terror come over with many deaths by firing squad at the champ des Martyrs near Avrillé; a guillotine is installed 1793-94 at the current square or Place du Ralliement. Eventually in 1807, Napoléon Ier ordered the medieval fortifications destroyed. During the WWI the city does not suffers much, while during the WWII , gets involved allowing the Polish government in exile to be seated here at the Château de Pignerolle, becoming the de facto capital of Poland..From 1941, the Nazis make Angers the seat of their HQ of the west of France and later at Pignerolle the communication center for submarines. In 1942,Angers becomes the seat for the regional center of the Gestapo. On August 10 1944, the city is liberated by the US 3rd Army of General Patton.
The Angers tourist office: https://www.tourisme.destination-angers.com/en
The city of Angers on its heritage: http://The City of Angers on its heritage : https://www.angers.fr/vivre-a-angers/culture/patrimoine/index.html
The Pays de la Loire region tourist office on Angers: https://www.paysdelaloire.co.uk/suggestions/Angers
You have a lot to see not to mention by the airport you have a wonderful old planes museum. and the nearby castles like Serrant and the vinyards of Anjou. In all a wonderful time in nice Angers, which we will be back. Again, hope you enjoy this post on this is Angers as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 