The best traffic-free bike rides around Saumeray

The imposing structure known as the "Château de Chateaudun" that reveals itself to visitors here is, of course, also available in other sports in the komoot system. For the corresponding hiking highlight, you'll find further relevant information and additional photos under the tips. If you're interested, see =>> https://www.komoot.com/de-de/highlight/936307

👍👍

Using the power of moving water to drive a mill wheel is an ancient invention that dates back to pre-Christian times. Thanks to such a construction, human or animal muscle power could be easily replaced by a watercourse - natural or artificially created - in order to grind grain into corn, for example. There are essentially two different ways of driving watermills: either the water simply hits the blades of the water wheel from below to set it in motion; or the water is guided above the wheel and falls onto the blades; this type of construction is more efficient due to natural gravity.

Unfortunately, the church was not accessible when I visited (mid-September 2024). You could only look in through a gate and the dance of death depictions on the left side were not really visible. In front of them were transparencies with skeleton drawings. Maybe those were the depictions...

Former keep nicknamed La Poivrière because of its roof and which was part of the fortified enclosure in the 13th century

Bonneval, nicknamed the little Venice of Beauce

The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of the Roman Catholic diocese of Chartres

At the gates of the Loir valley coming from Paris, between Chartres and Blois, the Château de Châteaudun raises its proud and massive silhouette to the eyes of the visitor who approaches it from the north. Property of Jean, bastard of Orléans, Count of Dunois and companion of Joan of Arc, it was a solid fortress before becoming a pleasant princely residence. Overlooking the Loir by more than 60 meters, Châteaudun Castle offers a succession of elements of medieval, Gothic and Renaissance architecture of exceptional authenticity. Clinging to its rocky promontory, the 12th century “big tower” is one of the tallest and best preserved dungeons in France. In the 15th century, Jean Dunois undertook work and transformed the castle, demolishing part of the fortifications. He made the old medieval castle a comfortable and bright residence and endowed it with a Sainte-Chapelle. In the following century, his descendants, the lords of Longueville, completed the construction of the chapel and enlarged the castle with the Longueville wing. The Dunois wing and the Longueville wing have two sumptuous staircases with loggias, one with flamboyant decor and the other from the Renaissance period. Château de Châteaudun also houses a remarkable collection of Flemish and French tapestries from the 16th and 17th centuries. The visit is completed by a medieval-inspired garden exploring the relationships between cuisine and medicine in the Middle Ages, while a hanging garden reveals a garden of idleness and relaxation, unique in the Central Region.