A Carolingian palace more than 1,000 years old

Mayenne Castle is listed as an archaeological site of national interest. It overlooks the river and confers a certain grandeur on the town.

  • Les remparts et le château de Mayenne

    Les remparts et le château de Mayenne

    © Photo : Jean-Charles Druais

  • Entrée du château de Mayenne

    Entrée du château de Mayenne

    © Photo : Pelletier/Musée du château de Mayenne

  • Château de Mayenne

    Château de Mayenne

    © Photo : Jean-Charles Druais

  • Musée du château de Mayenne - Pièces de jeu

    Musée du château de Mayenne - Pièces de jeu

    © Photo : Pelletier/Musée du château de Mayenne

  • Musée du château de Mayenne - Pièces de jeu

    Musée du château de Mayenne - Pièces de jeu

    © Photo : Pelletier/Musée du château de Mayenne

  • Musée du château de Mayenne - Maquette

    Musée du château de Mayenne - Maquette du palais carolingien

    © Photo : Mayenne Tourisme

  • Château de Mayenne - visite guidée

    Château de Mayenne - visite guidée

    © Photo : Jean-Charles Druais

An early medieval castle
This castle is over 1,000 years old and is one of the best-preserved early medieval secular buildings in Europe.
From the castle, you will have a magnificent panoramic vista over the River Mayenne and the eastern districts of the town.
The main courtyard has now been turned into a park. At the end of the 19th century it was endowed with a superb Italian-style theatre, a hub of cultural life in Mayenne.
The castle houses a museum where visitors can take an interactive tour to discover these remarkable Carolingian remains and the castle’s history over the last 1,000 years.

A listed museum
Mayenne castle’s museum houses the medieval section of Mayenne’s Departmental Archaeological Museum.
It also displays outstanding collections of objects found in the course of excavations since 1996: coins, domestic artefacts, religious objects, military furnishings, funerary furnishings and game pieces.
Visitors can view an extraordinary collection of game pieces and counters: a board complete with its 52 backgammon counters dating from the 10th to 12th centuries, and dice and chess pieces, all made of bone, stags’ antlers or ivory.
The museum organises lots of activities for children of all ages, with workshops and classes that are exciting and fun, in summer and during school holidays.
It is also approved under the ‘Tourisme & Handicap’ scheme for all four types of disability (motor, visual, auditory and mental).

Map

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More info

  • Mayenne Castle-Museum
  • Place Juhel
  • 53100 Mayenne
  •  +33 (0)2.43.00.17.17
  • E-mail
  • Website

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