Tourist information on Angers, France

Angers is a busy modern city in the northwest of France, the capital of the Maine-et-Loire department in the region of Pays de la Loire. It is situated on both banks of the River Maine, 300 km southwest of Paris, and is steeped in history. As the capital of the ancient county of Anjou and nexus of the Plantagenet dynasty, Angers occupies an important place in the history of France and England. Whilst the city is rich in historic architecture, its main attractions are its tapestries, in particular the 14th century Apocalypse series exhibited in its castle. Angers acquired the name La ville noire (Black City) because many of its buildings were constructed from dark-coloured stone and slate, mined in nearby quarries. Today, Angers is a prosperous centre of industry and learning, home to two prestigious universities and a thriving manufacturing base. With its shops, theatres, restaurants, vibrant nightlife and wealth of museums, it is not hard to see why Angers is a popular tourist destination.

Angers originated as a densely populated settlement inhabited by the Andecavi, a tribe of Gauls, from around the 5th century BC. The city was named Juliomagus when the Gauls were conquered by the Romans, and renamed Andecavis by the 4th century (from which the name Angers derives). In the 9th century, the city was repeatedly attacked by the Vikings. The Frankish noble Foulques I became the first count of Anjou in 930, and managed to repel attempts by neighbouring Normandy and Brittany to encroach on his territories. Having ascended to the English throne, the Angevin Plantagenet Henri II found himself in command of a substantial empire that stretched as far as Ireland and the Pyrenees. This empire collapsed when Philippe II of France took Normandy and Anjou in 1204. Because of its strategic importance against Brittany and her English allies, Angers was heavily fortified and acquired the nickname the Key to the Kingdom. In the 15th century, Angers became an important centre of culture and commerce, under the stewardship of the Angevin king, René le Bon, brother-in-law of Charles VII of France. In 1474, Louis XI took Anjou away from René and it was fully incorporated into the kingdom of France.

The importance of Angers in the Middle Ages is demonstrated by its wealth of historic architecture from this era. The most prominent example of this is the great castle fortress of Angers (Château d'Angers). Built in the 13th century to protect the county of Anjou from a possible attack from Brittany, it is equipped with no fewer than 17 round towers and looks suitably indomitable on its rock above the River Maine. Within the castle's impregnable walls is arguably the most important medieval tapestry in the world, the 140 metre long Apocalypse. Representing the prophesy of Saint John, this incomparable work of art was created in the 14th century by the renowned weaver Nicolas Bataille at the request of Louis I of Anjou.

Built in the 12th and 13th centuries, the Cathédrale Saint-Maurice has a distinctive architectural style which is between Romanesque and Gothic. The vaulting of the nave is the earliest example of what is now known as the Angevin style, distinguished by its exaggerated convexity. The cathedral is particularly renowned for its medieval stained glass windows, which date from the 12th century and are of exceptional quality. Adorning the cathedral's interior is a magnificent collection of tapestries from the 14th century. In the vicinity of the cathedral, there are several well-preserved houses of the Middle Ages and Renaissance era. The most striking of these are the Maison d'Adam, a tall timber-framed house which dates to about 1500, and the Hôtel Pincé, a stone-walled mansion built in the 1520s which now houses an interesting collection of enamels. Also within a stone's throw of the cathedral is the Tour Saint-Aubin, a 54 metre high belfry tower of the 12th century, and the Palais du Tau, the former Bishop's Palace.

Of the many museums that Angers has to offer, the most fascinating is the Musée Jean Lurçat, an impressive collection of tapestries from the 19th and 20th centuries, housed in the 12th century Hospital of Saint-Jean. The star exhibit is the Chant du monde, a series of ten tapestries created by the contemporary artist Jean Lurçat between 1957 and 1966. These express a modern version of the Apocalypse, Lurçat's vision of the world after the creation of the atomic bomb. Equally visit-worthy is the Musée des Beaux-Arts, the city's main fine arts museum which is located in the Logis Barrault, a late 15th century mansion. This offers a vast collection of paintings and sculptures from the 14th century to the present daty, with work by such diverse artists as Jordaens, Chardin, Boucher, David, Corot, Ingrès and Monet. The Musée Pincé is a museum that is primarily focused on art from antiquity (ancient Greece and Roman times), although it also includes art from Egypt and the Far East. The Galérie David d'Angers is housed in the 13th century Abbatiale Toussaint (All Saints Abbey) and exhibits bronze and marble statues by the great Angevin sculptor Jean-Pierre David (1788-1856). Sited in the Hôtel Demarie-Valentin, the Muséum d'histoire naturelle d'Angers is a natural history museum with a large collection of animals and fossils.

Boasting 40 square metres of green space for each of its inhabitants, Angers has good reason to be proud of its reputation as the Flower City. There is an abundance of parks and gardens to be found in Angers, and first on any visitor's list should be the Jardin des plantes near the city centre. Covering an area of 4 hectares, this is the city's main botanical garden and includes wooded areas and beautifully landscaped vistas of flowers. Other public gardens include the Jardin du mail and the Jardin botanique de la Faculté de Pharmacie d'Angers. A five minute car journey away, to the southwest of the city centre, is the stunning nature reserve Parc de loisirs du Lac de Maine, which is a great place to explore the wild fauna and flora of the region as well as participate in a wide range of sporting activities, from golf to windsailing.

The nearest commercial airports to Angers are those at Paris, Nantes and Bordeaux. Gare d'Angers Saint-Laud is the city's main railway station and provides a high speed (TGV) service to several cities, including Paris, Nantes, Lyon, Strasbourg and Marseille. Angers is well-served by its bus network.