Le Château de Laval

Around 1020, Guy de Dénéré built his motte castle on the hillside overlooking the Mayenne, near the ford crossed by an ancient Roman road linking the Paris basin to Brittany.

The original earth and wood structure was replaced by a stone fortress, the centrepiece of which was a cylindrical keep built when the seigneury of Laval entered the Capetian sphere of political influence. This tower, 34 metres high, is crowned by a defensive gallery, the hourd. It is one of the oldest pieces of timberwork in France (1219-1221).

During the Renaissance, at the instigation of Guy XVI, Peer of France and Governor of Brittany, the façade of the main building opening onto the courtyard was pierced with large windows decorated with rich tufa stonework. The motifs refer both to the French Gothic tradition and to Antiquity, rediscovered during the Italian Wars.

In the mid-16th century, a pleasure gallery in a more classical architectural style completed the castral complex to the north. The former residence of the Counts of Laval became a prison during the French Revolution, and since 1967 has housed Europe's first museum of naive art, inaugurated in honour of Douanier Rousseau.

TOUR SCHEDULES
- Guided tour :
- 1 September to 30 June: Saturdays and Sundays at 3pm and 4.30pm
- During school holidays (Académie de Nantes): Tuesday to Sunday at 3pm and 4.30pm
- Closed on public holidays (except 14 July and 15 August)
- From 1 July to 31 August: Tuesday to Saturday, 9am to 12pm and 1.30pm; Sundays and public holidays, 2pm to 6pm.
Guided tours during the day
10am: caving tour
11am - 2pm: tour of the main tower
3pm and 4.30pm: tour of the main tower and chapel

⚠️ No guided tours on weekends in January (11, 12, 18, 19, 25 and 26 January 2025). The château will remain open with a visit to MANAS.

Price €6 / Free for jobseekers and under-26s

Bookings can be made on 02 53 74 12 30

PRACTICAL INFO :
The château houses the Musée d'Art Naïf et des Arts Singuliers.
It is open Tuesday to Saturday from 9am to 12pm and from 1.30pm to 6pm, and on Sundays from 2pm to 6pm.
The site is closed on public holidays except 14 July and 15 August, from 2pm to 6pm.