The Loire Châteaux network steering committee

The event saw presentation of a highly satisfactory report on the 2013 season in terms of numbers of visitors, and participants went on to discuss collective action bearing on promotion, quality and shared cultural projects. 

Promotion: prioritised markets

Good press relations in 2013 led to publication of 136 articles over 6 months, with progressive increase in numbers published per month.  

The shared loire-château.org website recorded over 1,300,000 visits, up by 20%. Adaptation of the website for tablets and mobiles is planned for 2014. 

Promotional actions over the internet will be focusing on 4 European markets (Great Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain) as well as on a selection of markets further afield (China, Russia and the United States). 

On the web:

• www.loire-chateaux.org

Quality: 10 sites with the “Qualité Tourisme” label

4 were awarded the label for the 1^st time this year: 

• Royal Château of Amboise
• Château of Sully-sur-Loire
• Château of Valençay
• Fontevraud Abbey

3 had the label renewed after 3 years: 

• Château of Clos Lucé
• Royal Château of Blois
• Dukes of Brittany’s Château

With the Château of Villandry, the Domain of Chaumont-sur-Loire and the Royal Fortress of Chinon, 10 out of the network’s 21 sites now bear the label. 

As of 2014, management of the quality initiative is shared between two bodies: 

• Touraine Départemental Tourism Association, managing the “Qualité Sites en Région Centre - Val de Loire” scheme
• Anjou Tourisme, managing the “Qualité Visite en Pays de la Loire” scheme

On the web:

• 18 sites de visite porteurs de la marque Qualité Tourisme™ en région Centre (Tourainfo Pro)

Cultural project: Anne of Brittany Season

1514 – 2014 provides an opportunity to commemorate the anniversary of the death of Anne of Brittany by putting the spotlight on a number of the Loire Valley’s major monuments and highlighting some of the area’s historical, patrimonial and cultural characteristics. 

From the Dukes of Brittany’s Château in Nantes to the Royal Château of Blois through the Châteaux of Langeais, Amboise and Clos Lucé, not forgetting the Royal City of Loches, the Loire Châteaux provided the setting for Anne of Brittany’s remarkable life. With a range of creative and highly original cultural rendezvous on the programme, this celebratory year will enable the public at large to travel back in time, tracing the various stages in her life as they journey up the Loire from Nantes to Blois. 

On the web:

• www.anne-de-bretagne.net

Update on the Châteaux

This year, the longstanding commitment to refurnishing the State’s châteaux and historical monuments has led to a partnership with the Mobilier National making items of furniture available to the Châteaux of Chambord (50 newly added outstanding pieces of 18^th-century furniture) and Chaumont (70 19^th-century items including furniture, carpets, sculptures and chandeliers). 

On the web:

• Remeublement du Château de Chambord (Terres de Loire, 15/01/2014)
• Chaumont, un château proustien (La Nouvelle République, 22/02/2014)

On the Cheverny estate, for the first time since the château was opened to visitors in 1922, the public will be allowed into the chapel. Located on the 2^nd floor, it features two three-tiered hanging keystones – a highly unusual architectural feature. In the gardens, visitors can make their way through a maze walled with bay-trees. 60,000 tulips are set to brighten up the west of the Château. 

Chenonceau opens two new exhibition galleries:  

• the Médicis Gallery on the second floor, overlooking the Cher, with a collection of artworks, paintings, tapestries, furniture and ornaments on display for the first time, along with documents on the various stages of the château’s construction and milestones in its history.
• the Attelages Gallery, housed in the 16^th-century farm’s cowshed and exhibiting a collection of 18^th- and 19^th-century horse-drawn carriages.

On this website:

• Restaurations et aménagements dans les monuments de Touraine
• Domaine de Cheverny : ouverture de la chapelle et du labyrinthe des jardins