Chinon: a new fortress

An exceptional worksite

• Archaeological excavations
• Restoration of the ramparts and the Coudray keep
• The royal lodgings restored in the manner of a 15^th century Touraine dwelling
• An ephemeral garden
• A new building housing the reception area, ticket office, shop and exhibition room

A 21^st-century museographic and scenographic commitment

 The new scenographic project is devoted to the great names who have left their mark on the history of the fortress, from the Plantagenets to Joan of Arc.  It was brought to fruition by scenographer Frédéric Casanova and Michel Kouklia (Ubiscène), in liaison with a scientific committee made up of Bruno Dufay, head of the departmental archaeological service, Julie Pellegrin, head of the departmental monuments and museums service, and Marie-Eve Scheffer, manager of Chinon fortress. The new visit combines interiors (eight rooms in the royal lodgings) and exteriors, drawing its inspiration from a contemporary reinterpretation of medieval style, made all the more inviting by a range of interactive systems. Projection of short silent fiction films (about 4 minutes each), real cinematic works of art, evoke the great events in the fortress’s history, favouring emotional register rather than documentary historical reconstitution.Other innovations to be taken note of are the freely available multimedia consoles, a guide book that sets off vocal and interactive terminals (via a RFID chip), and augmented reality display systems. 

On the web

• Royal Fortress of Chinon