Museums in the Loir Valley

In La Chartre-sur-le-Loir, the museum created by Grégoire Courtin offers a unique insight into the world of old-fashioned shops. A veritable collector’s house, this extraordinary place recreates a number of old-fashioned shops with incredible meticulousness: a hat shop from 1880, a colour merchant from 1900, a drugstore, a hardware store, and much more.

Each area features authentic objects and treasures from everyday life in days gone by, carefully collected and presented as if in a museum. Pushing open the door of the museum is like stepping into a fascinating setting where patinated objects, archives, old boxes, brushes, pigments, headgear and various curiosities tell the story of daily life in another era. The back room reveals a fascinating cabinet of curiosities, combining fossils and rare objects. Grégoire Courtin brings a vanished heritage back to life, offering an immersive experience of nostalgia and wonder. A must-see visit to relive the soul of the small shops of yesteryear.

Among the other museums you can discover, you’ll be plunged into worlds as exciting as they are different. From Bazouges/Cré-sur-Loir to Loir en Vallée, you can marvel at the exceptional collection of 5,200 lead soldiers, around fifty uniforms and numerous weapons tracing the military history of the Knights Templar right up to the modern era in the Musée aux vieux soldats, or at the 200 liturgical vestments and priestly objects in the Musée d’Art Sacré in Baugé-en-Anjou.

On the other side of the valley, the Moulins de Paillard contemporary art centre, created in 2009, is a global cultural and artistic project. Housed in a former 18th-century paper mill, Moulins de Paillard welcomes artists and researchers in residence, offering exhibitions, concerts, installations, workshops and performances all year round. This atypical site is an inspiring meeting place for residents, visitors and artists.