Blois, a hillside city on the Loire River, is the capital of the Loir-et-Cher department in central France. The late-Gothic Blois Cathedral towers over its cobbled center. Nearby, the Château Royal de Blois is a former royal palace with ornate chambers, and paintings and sculptures from the 16th to 19th centuries. Opposite, La Maison de la Magie Robert-Houdin explores the history of magic and holds live performances.
Towering above the northern bank of the Loire, Blois’ royal château, one-time feudal seat of the powerful counts of Blois, offers a great introduction to some key periods in French history and architecture. The city makes an excellent base for visits to the châteaux, villages and towns of the central Loire Valley. Blois attracts many visitors because of the popular Chateau de Blois that is situated in the town, but Blois is also a very pretty town with plenty of historical sights to see and also a vibrant centre. It makes a very good base for visiting the castles of the Loire valley.
The Chateau de Bois sits at the top of the town on the edge of a large square. From this side it looks like a large manor house with its brick and stone facade. Above the entrance is a statue of King Louis XII mounted on a horse. The chateau has many interesting rooms to visit and its internal courtyard reflects 4 different periods of history in its architecture. The square in front of the castle was once part of the castle and was surrounded by walls and contained stables, armouries and religious buildings. During King Louis XII the castle lost its military focus and various mansions were built around the square for those closest to the King.
The building that is now the Maison de la Magie opposite the castle entrance was built in the 19th century and the area became a public square following the bombing of the city in 1940. The Maison de la Magie is now a museum dedicated to magic and the art of illusion. It contains many objects that belonged to Houdini and his life and work are a major part of the exhibition. There is also a show created by Ferard Majax called the Hallucinoscope.
Below the castle is a lively old town with narrow streets and ancient buildings. Blois was in its heyday as a royal town in the 16th century and much of its architecture reflects this period though there are also buildings dating to the 12th century. The ancient town includes many late Gothic and Renaissance palaces such as the palace of the Archbishop, surrounded by terraced gardens close to the Loire.
On the eastern side of town is the Cathedral of Saint Louis, dating from the tenth century, and in Gothic style. Inside it has magnificent windows which were created by a Dutch artist Jan Dibbets in 1992. Opposite the cathedral, the ‘Maison des Acrobates’, dates from the fifteenth century. Behind the cathedral is the town hall and Bishop's garden. The Fondation du Doute is an interesting building which is a Contemporary Art Centre based around the ideas of the Fluxus Group. Conceived by the artist Ben, there are works by various artists including Duschamp, Dali and Man Ray. The Café Le Fluxus is a great place for a coffee or bistro lunch. It certainly makes quite a change to castle visiting in the area.
Blois has several very nice gardens. The Bishop's garden (Jardin de l'Eveche) behind the cathedral has some wonderful views over the Loire as well as a lovely rosary. Near to the chateau the Jardins du Roy are a beautiful contemporary garden with box hedges cut in lines and waves and interplanted with roses in a very original way. Other areas include ponds and fountains and more contemporary style planting.
Alot to see in Blois such as :
Château de Blois Fondation du Doute Maison de la Magie Château de Chambord Les Jardins de l’Ancien Évêché Escalier Denis Papin Place Louis XII Tour Beauvoir Hôtel de Ville Hôtel Alluye Château de Chaumont Château de Cheverny Château de Fougères-sur-Bièvre Loire River Trips Chateaux à Vélo
( Blois - France ) is well know as a tourist destination because of the variety of places you can enjoy while you are visiting Blois . Through a series of videos we will try to show you recommended places to visit in Blois - France
Join us for more :
Tamina in der Bretagne | WDR Reisen
Brausendes Meer, steile Klippen, feine Sandstrände, historische Städte und eigenwillige Menschen - die Bretagne verzaubert mit rauem Charme, einer uralten Kultur und einer eigenen Sprache. Tamina Kallerts Reisebegleiter ist der Koch und Gastronom Patrick Le Guern.
Kanal abonnieren: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Auf WDR Reisen erfährst Du alles über Sehenswürdigkeiten und Geheimtipps, Erholung und Abenteuer, nah und fern, Aufbruch und Ankommen – das alles ist WDR Reisen. Wir machen Lust auf Städte, Länder, Menschen, kurz: aufs Reisen – mit kurzen und langen Reportagen und Dokumentationen des WDR, unter anderen aus den Reise-Sendungen Wunderschön!, 2 für 300, Erlebnisreisen. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weitere Infos: