You can find the castle at the heart of Laval. It was built in the 11th century and renovated in the 16th. The Old Bridge and the Grande Rue have been the scene of most of the commerce of Brittany, Anjou and Normandy. Much of the medieval town is still evident in the town wall, the towers and ramparts.
The castle now houses the museum of ‘naïve art’, created in honour of ‘Douanier Rousseau’ famous painter and a child of the county.
The old town expands all around the castle from the port Beucheresse to the river. In the middle ages the river was the life of the city. The Washroom boats are a reminder of this.
A number of churches can be found around the town of which the Basilica Notre Dame d’Avesnieres is undoubtedly the most beautiful with it’s magnificent steeple.
The Perrine gardens, between the castle and the basilica, are at the heart of the town. Overlooking the Mayenne, they offer a view of the North East quarter of the town. The gardens also honour one of the towns child prodigies, the sailor Alain Gerbault. A replica of his boat “The Firecrest” can be found there.
A recent historical find were the Spas of Entrammes. Discovered in 1987 they can be dated back to the 3rd century. They are unusual in having kept their brick decorations. They were made up of four rooms - cold room, tepid room, steam room and then hot room. Paintings and statues decorated these rooms with great refinement. When the Roman Empire collapsed the building was transformed into a church in the 5th century. |
