World Heritage Photos

The Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire en Chalonnes: This part of the Loire Valley is located in the middle stretch of the Loire in the heart of France. The Loire Valley is often described as the 'Cradle of the French' and 'Garden of France' due to the large number of vineyards, orchards, artichoke and asparagus fields along the banks of the river Loire. The striking landscape of the Loire Valley contains many historic towns and villages, such as Blois, Chinon, Saumur, Tours and Orleans, the City of Joan of Arc. The Loire Valley is renowned for its great architectural buildings and its magnificent châteaux. The Loire Valley was loved by the French Kings and noblemen, they competed to build ever more the most elaborate and luxurious castles. That is one of the reasons that the Loire Valley is often called the 'Cradle of the French Renaissance'. The Loire Valley was once of immense strategic importance, many battles were fought in the Loire Valley between England and France. In 2000, the Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire ( about 50 km southeast of Orleans) and Chalonnes-sur-Loire (about 80 km east of Nantes) has been awarded the UNESCO World Heritage status.

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   Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire en Chalonnes: The Castle of Sully-sur-Loire. The Loire Valley is a wonderful landscape of vineyards, orchards, artichoke and asparagus fields along the banks of the river Loire River. The Loire Valley is famous for the charming villages, parks and gardens, but most of all, the Loire Valley is famous for its fine castles, located in a glorious setting beside the river Loire. The Loire Valley is located in the heart of France.

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   Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire en Chalonnes: The main entrance of the Fleury Abbey. The columned entrance with its sculpted capitals is a masterpiece of the Romanesque architecture. The Fleury Abbey in located in St Benoit-sur-Loire, the Benedictine abbey was founded around 640, the church is all that remains. The church of Fleury Abbey was built on a mound to protect it against flooding from the Loire.

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   Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire en Chalonnes: The tomb of King Philip I of France, the king was buried in the Fleury Abbey Church in 1108, according to his wish. Fleury Abbey houses also the relics of St. Benedict of Nursia, the main patron saint of Europe, the pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Benedict of Nursia became popular and Fleury Abbey became one of the most influential abbeys in France. Fleury Abbey is situated on the banks of the Loire.

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   Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire en Chalonnes: The Gothic Sainte-Croix Cathedral of Orléans is probably most famous for its association with Joan of Arc, she attended Mass on 2 may 1429, after she successfully led the French forces to break the English Siege of Orléans. The coloured stained windows of the cathedral depict the story of Joan of Arc, the 'Maid of Orléans'. Close to the cathedral stands a statue of Joan of Arc on horseback.

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   Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire en Chalonnes: The George V Bridge is a stone arch bridge over the river Loire in Orléans, behind the bridge stands the Cathedral of Orléans. The bridge is 335 metres long and was built between 1751 and 1760. The Loire River divides Orléans into two parts, a small quarter lies on the southern bank, the main part is situated on the northern bank of the Loire. Orléans is also known as the City of Joan of Arc.

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   Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire en Chalonnes: The Royal Château of Blois, the Royal Castle of Blois is located in the historic centre of the town of Blois. The most renowned feature of the Castle of Blois is the Spiral Staircase in the Francis I wing. The Castle of Blois was the residence of several kings of France. The Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire en Chalonnes was inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000.

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   Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire en Chalonnes: The Queen's Chamber in the Royal Château of Blois. Catherine de' Medici died in this bedroom in 1589. Behind the room lies her studiolo, a small room, the wood paneling of the room conceal four secret cabinets, they are believed to be Catherine de' Medici's secret hiding place for poisons. But most certain they had a more normal purpose and were probably used to hide jewelry, precious objects and state papers.

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   Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire en Chalonnes: A 12th century stone bridge spans the river Loire close to the Royal City of Blois. Blois is built on hills, steep stairways and winding alleys are running through the town. In 1429, Joan of Arc came here to make Blois her base of operations for the liberation of Orléans, that was besieged by English forces. The Castle of Blois is situated in the centre of Blois, it was once the residence of French monarchs.

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   Loire Valley: The 440 metres long stone bridge at Beaugency is probably the oldest bridge over the Loire, the 12th century bridge has 26 arches. For a long time, the bridge was one of only two bridges spanning the Loire between Orléans and Blois. The legend says that the bridge was built by the devil, as a payment he asked the first soul that would cross the bridge. He was fooled by the villagers. They pushed a cat onto the bridge. Since then, the inhabitants of Beaugency have been nicknamed 'chats', cats.

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    Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire en Chalonnes: Beaugency is a quiet little town on the banks of the Loire. The streets are paved with cobblestones. The historic buildings reflect the colourful history of Beaugency. Beaugency was occupied by the English several times. On 16 and 17 june 1429, it was the location of the famous Battle of Beaugency, a battle led by of Joan of Arc. In the centre of Beaugency, near the Tour Saint-Firmin, stands a statue of Joan of Arc, commemorating the major role she played in the battles of the Hundred Years' War.

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    Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire en Chalonnes: The Caesar Tower in Beaugency is one of the oldest examples of Romanesque military architecture. The large 11th century square tower was used in the defence of Beaugency and the bridge over the Loire. The tower is the only remaining part of a 16th century castle, the castle was destroyed during the Wars of Religion. During a fire in 1840, the vaults of the Caesar Tower collapsed, only the outer walls are preserved.

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    Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire en Chalonnes: The Castle of Chinon on the river Vienne. On Friday 13 october 1307, the Knights Templar were accused of heresy by King Philip IV of France, the leading members of the Knights Templar were imprisoned in the Castle of Chinon. Between 1427 and 1450, the Castle of Chinon was the Royal Residence of King Charles VII of France. The first meeting between Joan of Arc and King Charles took place at the castle in 1429.

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    Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire en Chalonnes: The Castle of Chinon is located on the banks of the Vienne about 10 km from where the river joins the Loire. The Vienne is one of the most important tributaries of the river Loire. The more than three hundred monuments and castles of the Loire Valley illustrate the ideals of the Renaissance and Age of Enlightenment on Western Europe. The Loire Valley is often called the 'Cradle of the French Renaissance'.

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    Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire en Chalonnes: A traditional river boat on the Loire next to the Castle of Montsoreau. The castle is situated in a strategic position, at the confluence of the rivers Vienne and Loire. The castle has been immortalized by the writer Alexandre Dumas in his novel 'La Dame de Montsoreau'. The Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire en Chalonnes gained the status as a UNESCO World Heritage in 2000.

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    Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire en Chalonnes: The Castle of Montsoreau is the only castle in the Loire Valley to have been built directly in the riverbed of the Loire. A settlement was built on the banks of the river Loire in the 6th century and rebuilt into a fortified castle in 990, the castle was rebuilt into a Renaissance castle between 1450 and 1460. Nowadays, the impressive Castle of Montsoreau houses a contemporary art collection.

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    Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire en Chalonnes: Château de Chambord is the largest castle in the Loire Valley, it is known for its characteristic French Renaissance architecture. The castle was built as a hunting lodge for the French King Francis I in 1519-1547. Leonardo da Vinci visited the castle during its construction and added a few adornments. The Castle of Chambord became a UNESCO World Heritage in 1981, since 2000, it is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site: The Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire en Chalonnes.