Interdisciplinary Research on the History of châteaux and courts in the Loire Valley

The project's main objective is to understand, over the long term – mainly between the 12th and 17th centuries – not only the dynamics of château construction, how their architecture changed, their "entourage" and their court developed, site by site, but also the internal and external traffic they generated in the Loire Valley, from both the tangible and intangible point of view, the spatial logic that was woven with the surrounding areas and the dominated area, as well as the transfers and exchanges that occurred with the other provinces of the kingdom and abroad. 

The online portal for the project is designed not just for professionals and enlightened enthusiasts, specialising in the study, preservation and management of castle heritage, but also anyone interested in this heritage – very much a component of the Loire Valley World Heritage. 

Online:

• http://rihvage.univ-tours.fr