Cholet, a little bit of History… The Roman occupation of Gaul has not spared Cholet, as the lanes, stations, bridges and camps from those times used to intertwine throughout the whole area. A Prince of Anjou : Foulques III - called Nera - is said to be the builder of the first seigneurial ramparts. On the top of the mound, which has since become the most buoyant centre of the town, used to stand a fortress. It housed behind its great walls civils servants, clerks, craftsmen as well as the feudal guard... Simple figures give a proper idea of the situation of Cholet at the end of the war (of the Vendée) : in 1790, there was a population of 8,444 inhabitants; in 1801, no more than 2,000 inhabitants remain. In 1796, only about 20 houses are still standing. These figures also explain why the wars of the Vendée have so deeply leaved a mark on this country.   200 years ago, the battle of Cholet is the strategic turning point of a fratricide conflict : the wars of the Vendée.

La Rochejacquelein was killed in the neighbourhood of Cholet in Nuaillé.
was killed in the neighbourhood of Cholet in Bonaparte - who calls the war a "Giants' War" - acknowledges the place of religion with the Concordat. The insurrection of the Vendée in 1793 has left indelible marks.

A brand new History is now left to be written, that of the dynamic town of today. It is at the service of men, instead of enslaving them, and the people of Cholet find their pleasure in their good living conditions.

Discovering Cholet

In Cholet 

Musée d'Art et d'Histoire

In the middle of the town, the Art and History Museum exhibits permanent and temporary collections, dating from the 18th and 19th centuries in the Art Gallery; from 1793 to 1796 in the History Gallery...

Musée du Textile

Five minutes from the town center, the Textile Museum is located in a former factory dedicated to the bleaching of cloth (built in 1811). Today, it presents the industrial activities that have made, for several centuries, the town's fame. It remains one of the last witnesses of the textile activity in the "town of handkerchiefs"

Churches

Notre-Dame, that dates from the 11th century, is a priory founded by the monks of St-Michel en l'Hermitage. During the French Revolution, it was used as a stable and a prison. The Sacred Heart (Sacré- Cœur), with its Romanesque and Byzantine architecture, is the work of art of Cholet's architect Mr. Laurentin. Saint-Pierre was destroyed by the Normans in 845. It used to have a Romanesque architecture but it was changed into a Gothic one at the end of the 15th century. Cholet has two other parish churches :Saint Louis-Marie Grignon de Montfort and Sainte-Bernadette.

Nature

Lakes, ponds, parks and gardens

The City owns about 587 hectares of green spaces with a huge number of open spaces surrounding the town, in the center of the Mauges hedged farmlands.

Golf

A varied 18 by 71 holes course of 5880 m, punctuated with many doglegs, a splendid lake and a large wooded estate.

 

Around Cholet

Le Parc oriental de Maulévrier

Creted by Alexandre Marcel from 1899 to 1910, the Oriental Park is one of the largest Japanese gardens in Europe.

Le Puy du Fou

Spend a day in the heart of History... at the Puy du Fou Great Park with its almost two hours Night Show at the Cinéscénie...

 

Saumur

The Montsoreau Castle is the only Loire Castle built on the bank of the River Loire. It is located half-way between Chinon and Saumur.

 

Les Chemins de la Rose

In this splendid landscaped park of 4 hectares and planted with 13,000 rosebushes, you will discover, in the trail of heady fragrances, a whole harmony of shapes and colours that create natural and soothing scenes. A magical place to go back in time and yield to the charms of roses.

Le Futuroscope

Contemporary art invites itself to the Futuroscope with Toutain and Land Art. Art is one of the essential elements of the park. "The Futuroscope is a fantastic setting for culture, for the expression and display of art as well as the promotion and recognition of new forms ofcreation".

Le Zoo de Doué la Fontaine

For the discovery of a wildlife passion, within anyone's range.