Château de Montsoreau

Château de Montsoreau

Rivers, kings, and a dash of the modern: know the history of this castle in the heart of the Loire Valley.

Montsoreau is a medieval Flamboyant Gothic castle that sits at the confluence of the Loire and Vienne rivers in the Loire Valley, France. The domain of Restis was mentioned as early as the 6th century. It was transformed into a fortified castle by Eudes, the First count of Blois, in 990. The castle was taken by the Anjou realm in 1001. Gautier I of Montsoreau was given the castle in 1001. The village of Montsoreau developed quickly near the castle by the second half of the 11th century.

Parts of the Château de Montsoreau were listed as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture in 1862, 1930, and 1938. The Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. More recently, in 2015, Philippe Méaille signed a 25-year lease of the real property of the Château de Montsoreau, and it now houses his collection of the conceptual art collective Art & Language, lending a modern touch to its historic grounds.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons

Written by Nicolo Ciampini

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