Page 306 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - France

a Nearby is the medieval clock
tower in rue du Change and
Beaugency the Renaissance Hôtel de Ville
(town hall), its façade adorned
! D3 ⌂ Loiret £ @ n 3 pl with the town’s arms.
de Docteur-Hyvernaud;
www.tourisme- Château de Beaugency
beaugency.fr
"' ⌂ 3 pl Dunois # 10am–
6pm daily (to 7pm Jul–Aug)
The compact medieval town
EXPERIENCE The Loire Valley Orléanais region. Excep tionally s
of Beaugency makes a peace­
¢ Nov–mid-Feb ∑ chateau-
ful base for exploring the
de-beaugency.com
for the Loire, it is possible
to walk along its riverbanks
and stone levees. At quai de
Vendôme
l’Abbaye there is a good view
of the 11th­century bridge,
! C3 ⌂ Loir-et-Cher £ @
which, until relatively recently,
was the only crossing point
dome-tourisme.fr
between Blois and Orléans.
Once a valued stop for pilgrims
Dominating the town centre n 47 rue Poterie; www.ven
is a ruined 11th­century watch­ on the road to Compostela in with Romanesque capitals
tower. It stands sentry on place Spain, Vendôme is still popular and 15th­century choir stalls.
St­Firmin, along with a 16th­ with modern pilgrims, thanks On a rocky spur above the Loir
century bell tower (the ori gi­ to the TGV rail service. A desir­ is the ruined château, built by
nal church was destroyed in able address for Parisian the counts of Vendôme in the
the Revolut ion) and a statue commuters, the town still 13th–14th centuries. The tran­
of Joan of Arc. Further down is retains its provincial charm. quil garden around the château
the Château de Beaugency, Vendôme’s old stone buildings is remarkable for its collection
built on the site of the feudal are encircled by the River Loir. of hydrangeas.
castle by one of Joan of Arc’s Its lush gardens invite explo­
compagnons d’armes, Jean de ration, especially Parc Ronsard.
Dunois. Highlights include the Reached by a footbridge across 23
16th­century kitchens and the Loir, this park has a plane
the handsome seigneural tree planted in 1759 and a Blois
lodgings. Facing the Château medieval lavoir. ! D3 ⌂ Loir-et-Cher £ @
de Beaugency is Notre­Dame, The greatest monument of n 23 pl du château; www.
a Romanesque abbey church the town is the abbey church bloischambord.com
that witnessed, in 1152, the of La Trinité, founded in 1034.
annulment of the marriage Its Romanesque bell tower is Once a fief of the counts of
between Eleanor of Aquitaine overshadowed by the church Blois, the town was a royal
and Louis VII, leaving Eleanor portal, a masterpiece of domain in the 15th century,
free to marry the future Flamboyant Gothic tracery. retaining its historic façades
Henry II of England. The interior is embellished to this day. Archi tectural inter­
est abounds in Vieux Blois, the
hilly, partially pedestrianized
quarter of Blois enclosed by the
château, cathedral and river.
Set back from the north
bank of the river, the grand
Château Royal de Blois was
the main royal residence until
Henri IV moved the court to
Paris in 1598. The château’s
four contrasting wings make
a harmonious whole. The Salle
des Etats Généraux, the only
part of the building surviving
from the 13th century, housed
the council and court, and is
the largest and best­preserved
The peaceful River Loire near Beaugency, with Gothic hall in all of France.
the town’s medieval stone bridge in the distance The adjoining Louis XII wing
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