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The Monument
The château of Oiron, in the South of Chinon and Saumur, should be as famous as the most beautiful châteaus of the Val de Loire. This construction, constantly transformed by the successive generations of the Gouffier family (from the Poitou region), is a remarkable summary of the French architecture from the 15th to the 17th century. The North wing with four towers, wanted by Guillaume Gouffier about 1470, is noteworthy for its collection of paintings from the middle of the 16th century, which makes the château of Oiron into a wonderful château. It is to Madame de Montespan, who became the owner of the château in 1700, that we owe part of the South wing. In 1943, the government bought it to restore it, and particularly the interior decorations. A cultural plan aims at restoring the château and recreating gardens, thanks to contemporary artists. Today, the original vocation of the monument is rediscovered, thanks to a contemporary art exhibition, linked to the château’s history and organised round the memory of exhibitions of unusual and wonderful objects, combining human and natural creations.
Lodging
See the listing of the Hotels in Poitiers and Saumur
Practical information
Château d’Oiron
79100 Oiron
Going there
From Saumur: main road N 147 towards Parthenay, secondary road to D 938 to Thouars and then secondary roads D37 and D 64
From Poitiers: main road N 147 to Loudun, then secdonary road D 759 towards Thouars and D 64
On the Angers/Poitiers road
40 km south of Saumur
43 km northwest of Poitiers
Opening / Closing
Open every day
1 June to 30 September : 10:30 am – 6:30 pm
1 October to 31 May : 10:30 am -5:30 pm
Last entrance one hour before closing time
Closed
January 1st, May 1st, November 1st, November 11th and December 25th
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