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The museums of Amboise Val de Loire

Are you a fan of museums? Popular art, tradition, history and heritage, world culture: the museums of Amboise Val de Loire and all their great diversity are sure to amaze.

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Several centuries of great minds who, each in their own way, have left their mark on Amboise

On the banks of the Loire, it seems that the genius of Leonardo da Vinci has continued to inspire the greatest minds throughout the history of this royal city.

Pacello da Mercoliano

The Neapolitan monk Pacello da Mercoliano, a contemporary and compatriot of Leonardo da Vinci, transformed the Château Gaillard Royal Estate into his very own laboratory. His speciality: the art of gardening, sowing the 15 hectares of this great estate. His inventiveness allowed him to accommodate several species of orange tree in the Amboise climate, 2,000 km from Naples.

Le Duc de Choiseul

Another great builder, the Duke of Choiseul had a gigantic palace, equal to that of Versailles, constructed on the lands of Chanteloup. For this former Prime Minister to King Louis XV, the goal was to regain the king’s favour. But it would all be in vain, as he died in exile in the lands of Amboise, though not without having left a monument as exotic as it was extravagant to the region’s heritage: the iconic Pagode de Chanteloup, the only remains of the now-disappeared palace.

Emir Abd El-Kader

A century later, another exiled man came to mark the history of Amboise. But, this time, he came from much further afield. Defender of the Algerian cause, the Emir Abd El-Kader was held prisoner in the Amboise Château Royal for four years, in the company of around a hundred of his peers. Finally freed by Emperor Napoleon III in person, this protector of the Christians of the Orient would retain a particular attachment to Amboise, offering the city a magnificent crystal chandelier that still hangs in the Church of Saint-Denis today.

Much closer to us, the Amboise landscape itself would be shaped as the region opened itself up to tourism.

Francis Poulenc

One of France’s greatest music composer from the 20th century found inspiration in his Noizay Domaine du Grand Coteau, where he invited his artists friends such as Colette, Jean Cocteau or Picasso.

Max Ernst

In 1967, Michel Debré, Prime Minister and mayor of Amboise, entrusted sculptor Max Ernst with the creation of a monumental fountain which still stands today on the banks of the Loire.

60 years later

60 years later, around a half-dozen other contemporary works can be found dotted along the Promenade de Loire, from Alexander Calder’s Crinkly to the iconic white Tour d’Or, in tribute to artist Jean-Michel Othoniel in the Val d’Amboise vineyards.