Saumur in the Pays de la Loire region

21 September 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Martin Falbisoner/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Martin Falbisoner/cc-by-sa-3.0

Saumur is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. The town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc.. Saumur station has rail connections to Tours, Angers, La Roche-sur-Yon and Nantes.   read more…

Musée des Blindés in Saumur

31 October 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Museums, Exhibitions Reading Time:  5 minutes

© Kev22/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Kev22/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Musée des Blindés (“Museum of Armoured Vehicles”) or Musée Général Estienne is a tank museum located in the Loire Valley of France, in the town of Saumur in the Maine-et-Loire departement of the Pays de la Loire region. It is now one of the world’s largest tank museums. It began in 1977 under the leadership of Colonel Michel Aubry, who convinced both the French military hierarchy and the local political authorities. Started 43 years ago with only a few hundred tracked vehicles, it has become a world-class collection which attracts visitors interested in the history of multinational tank development as well as professional armor specialists. From the very beginning, Colonel Aubry had made it a key policy of the museum to restore to running condition as many historically or technically significant vehicles as was feasible.   read more…

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