Le Château de Laval

Description

Around 1020, Guy de Dénéré built his motte-and-bailey castle on the slopes of the hill overlooking the Mayenne, near the ford crossed by an ancient Roman road linking the Paris Basin to Brittany.

The original earth-and-timber structure was replaced by a stone fortress, the centrepiece of which was a cylindrical keep built at the time when the lordship of Laval came under the political influence of the Capetians. This tower, 34 metres high, is crowned by a defensive gallery known as the ‘hourd’. It is one of the oldest timber-framed structures in France (1219–1221).

During the Renaissance, under the impetus of Guy XVI, Peer of France and Governor of Brittany, the façade of the main building facing the courtyard was pierced with large windows adorned with rich tuffeau stone decoration. The motifs draw inspiration both from the French Gothic tradition and from Antiquity, which had been rediscovered during the Italian Wars.

In the mid-16th century, a pleasure gallery in a more classical architectural style was added to the north of the castle complex. Used as a prison during the French Revolution, the former residence of the Counts of Laval has, since 1967, housed Europe’s first museum of naïve art, inaugurated in honour of Le Douanier Rousseau.

VISITING HOURS
From February to December: Saturdays and Sundays at 3.00 pm and 4.30 pm
During school holidays (Nantes school district)
Tuesday to Sunday at 3.00 pm and 4.30 pm
Closed on public holidays (except 15 August)
From 5 July to 31 August
Guided tours at 11.00 am, 2.15 pm, 3.00 pm and 4.30 pm
Closed on Mondays and Sunday mornings
On 15 August, the site is open from 2.00 pm to 6.00 pm

⚠️ No guided tours on weekends in January. The château remains open for visits to the MANAS.

Admission: €6 / Free for jobseekers and under-26s

Bookings can be made on 02 53 74 12 30

PRACTICAL INFORMATION:
The château houses the Museum of Naïve Art and Singular Arts.
It is open Tuesday to Saturday from 9.00 am to 12.00 pm and from 1.30 pm to 6.00 pm, and on Sundays from 2.00 pm to 6.00 pm.
The site is closed on public holidays except on 15 August, when it is open from 2.00 pm to 6.00 pm.