Loudun
The original Celtic settlement was on the hill and later the town of Loudun was built on a Roman road. Fortified by Philippe Auguste in early part of the thirteenth century, the town was protected by a large fortress; however this was later demolished by Cardinal Richelieu in the 1600’s.
The ‘old’ town is crowned by La Tour Carrée (square tower) built in 1040 by Foulques Nerra, which was part of the fortified ramparts and looks out over the surrounding villages and hamlets from the hill in the centre. The remains of the walls can be seen in the park, and at the hospital where a round tower still stands; the old walls are incomplete but can be seen at points around the town. There are plenty of relics from bygone ages around the town and the map available from the Office de Tourisme shows walks taking in some of these areas. The local tourist maison for the area, La Maison de Pays de Loudunais, has a fine model of the town when the walls were complete and is worth a visit. It also has a range of local crafts, wines and produce together with information on current events in the area.
Loudun is rich in history from the earliest times right up to the last century, and the true stories include the burning of witches in the 17th century (Book – The Devils of Loudun - Aldous Huxley (1952), adapted by Ken Russell - Film – The Devils (1972) – starring Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave), and a local serial murderess in the mid 1900’s ((Film: Marie Besnard – l’empoinonneuse) Marie Besnard – The Poisoner)) who was charged with 13 counts of murder but not convicted due to lack of, or doubtful, evidence during two trials.
Loudun Today
The town today is in an agricultural area and enjoys a quieter pace of life with a market each Tuesday and a smaller market on a Saturday; annually there is the local ‘vide grenier’ in July or August and throughout the year events are held around the town. There are no vineyards immediately touching the town but as soon as you leave the outskirts, vineyards belonging to the adjoining communes appear. Some of the very best wines in the area come from Chinon and Saumur.
There are a number of bars and restaurants to choose from and a selection of patisserie / boulangeries. We can recommend our favourites.
The ‘old’ town is crowned by La Tour Carrée (square tower) built in 1040 by Foulques Nerra, which was part of the fortified ramparts and looks out over the surrounding villages and hamlets from the hill in the centre. The remains of the walls can be seen in the park, and at the hospital where a round tower still stands; the old walls are incomplete but can be seen at points around the town. There are plenty of relics from bygone ages around the town and the map available from the Office de Tourisme shows walks taking in some of these areas. The local tourist maison for the area, La Maison de Pays de Loudunais, has a fine model of the town when the walls were complete and is worth a visit. It also has a range of local crafts, wines and produce together with information on current events in the area.
Loudun is rich in history from the earliest times right up to the last century, and the true stories include the burning of witches in the 17th century (Book – The Devils of Loudun - Aldous Huxley (1952), adapted by Ken Russell - Film – The Devils (1972) – starring Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave), and a local serial murderess in the mid 1900’s ((Film: Marie Besnard – l’empoinonneuse) Marie Besnard – The Poisoner)) who was charged with 13 counts of murder but not convicted due to lack of, or doubtful, evidence during two trials.
Loudun Today
The town today is in an agricultural area and enjoys a quieter pace of life with a market each Tuesday and a smaller market on a Saturday; annually there is the local ‘vide grenier’ in July or August and throughout the year events are held around the town. There are no vineyards immediately touching the town but as soon as you leave the outskirts, vineyards belonging to the adjoining communes appear. Some of the very best wines in the area come from Chinon and Saumur.
There are a number of bars and restaurants to choose from and a selection of patisserie / boulangeries. We can recommend our favourites.