So again, my road warrior tours takes me to new places i was not intended to visit! This time with extra time after visiting Amboise and Chenonceau, took a peek of Montrichard Val de Cher, and it was a pleasant trip of new wonderful things to see in my belle France.
Montrichard is located in the department 41 of Loir-et-Cher in the Centre-Val de Loire region. Montrichard Val de Cher is the name of the new town formed in 2016 by the union of Montrichard and Bourré. It is on the banks of the Cher river between Tours and Vierzon. Nearby other tourist spots in the area of the castles of the Loire: less than 20 km from Chenonceaux, Amboise, Montpoupon, Valençay and Chaumont. Tours is only 38 km, Paris: 189 km, and Nantes: 207 km , The town is served by the Montrichard train station on the Vierzon – St Pierre des Corps line, I was in my road warrior tour of the area and after Amboise decide to stop by on the road D61/115. Nice monuments here but the main one me think is the dungeon/castle with its museums inside. Brief stop this is it for Montrichard Val de Cher!
The main tower constituting the Château de Montrichard from the 12C probably succeeds a first tower built by Foulques Nerra at the beginning of the 11C. The main tower is still in elevation with part of its curtain walls. The Castle is a fortified castle, now in ruins , and initially was built at the beginning of the 11C by the Count of Anjou Foulques Nerra. It served as a fulcrum in his fight against the Count of Blois, Eudes II. Hugues I of Amboise seized the fortress of Montrichard in 1109. He made expansion works and it is the remains of this fortress that we see today.
The former Château de Montrichard keep is enclosed by a protective wall, a defensive wall, surrounding a tower, In 1461, Louis XI exchanged his lordships of Gourmay and La Ferté-en-Bray for the lordship and castle of Montrichard, together with Guillaume d’Harcourt. The king chose this castle and the Sainte-Croix Church for the wedding celebrations of his two daughters, Anne de France (1474) and Jeanne de France (1476). During WWII, the site was cannonaded by French troops in 1940 and the small round tower from the 15C was destroyed. Nowadays, two museums stand side by side at this unusual site: The archeological museum of the friends of René Galloux will make you discover the depths of history. Through the visit of its rooms, you will travel in Paleontology, the Prehistory of man, Molinology (unique room in Europe), the Gallo-Roman period or the Merovingian period. The Ethnology Museum of the Friends of Old Montrichard will immerse you in the atmosphere of the 1900s, you will discover objects from the past, admire the wax statues of famous figures from the history of the city, learn certain methods of crafts.
The city of Montrichard Val de Cher on its dungeon/castle: https://www.montrichardvaldecher.com/decouvrir-le-patrimoine/patrimoine-de-montrichard/donjon/
The city of Montrichard Val de Cher and its history : https://www.montrichardvaldecher.com/decouvrir-son-histoire/
The South Loire tourist board on Montrichard : https://www.sudvaldeloire.co.uk/destination-sud-val-de-loire_en/nos-villages-entre-moyen-age-et-renaissance_en/cite-medievale-de-montrichard_en/
There you go folks , another dandy in my belle France. Always amazing to find these gems all over, and yet so close less than 4 hrs from home, just perfect. Hope you too can enjoy these gems and do visit Montrichard Val de Cher and its dungeon/castle. Again, hope you enjoy the post as I
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Leave a Reply