Le Château de Saumur et son Musée

Perched on a height by the Loire, the Saumur castle dominates the city and valley, and its octagonal towers can be seen from far away. Built in stages since the late 11th century, the Saumur castle was successively a fortress, a pleasure residence, a governor's residence, a prison, then an armory and munitions depot.

Today, largely restored, it stands somewhat like a fairy tale castle but the fortifications of the site, which foreshadow Vauban's works, remind of its defensive aspect.

It houses the municipal museum of Saumur:
- natural sciences collections, archaeologies, paintings and sculptures;
- medieval sculptures, furniture, and ceramics; decorative arts from the 14th to the 18th century;
-a very remarkable collection of equestrian objects (saddles, bits, spurs, ...) powerfully illustrating the history of harnessing since antiquity.