tourisme
The village of Charroux has preserved a remarkable legacy from its past, including a tall 11th-century octagonal tower known as the Tour de Charlemagne. This tower is a vestige of the former Abbey of Saint-Sauveur.
The cloister and the chapter house of this renowned Benedictine abbey have also been preserved. Today, the chapter house houses a museum displaying Gothic sculptures, historic treasures, and a scale model of the abbey.
La Vallée des Singes, in Romagne, is a wildlife park covering more than 15 hectares where more than 30 species of primates live in semi-liberty, totalling more than 350 monkeys.
In Chasseneuil-du-Poitou, near Poitiers, the Parc du Futuroscope offers fun and sensory attractions based around science and technology. The park is well known and recognised, and has even won the award for the best attraction in the world for 2 of its shows: The Raving Rabbids' Time Machine and Arthur's 4D Adventure.
Around forty attractions, each more breathtaking than the last, take you on extraordinary journeys.
At Futuroscope, one of the world's first high-tech parks, you and your family or friends can enjoy surprising, astonishing, sometimes terrifying, but always fascinating experiences!
The Circuit du Val de Vienne in Le Vigeant was born of a meeting between motor sport enthusiasts and local people keen to develop their region.
It was developed by the Pays Montmorillonnais and financed by several local authorities. It was built in 1990 and held its first race in 1992 with cars from the French Super Tourism Championship.
Renowned for being one of the most technical in France, in 2008 it achieved what it lacked: a high top speed. Linking two straights for a continuous acceleration of almost 1,000 metres, the top speed in the GT category is in excess of 270 km/h. At the same time, the circuit was admitted to the very closed circle of FIA Grade 2 homologated circuits.
The medieval town of Chauvigny overlooks the Vienne valley. As you wander through the upper town, you'll discover charming little streets and beautiful buildings that bear witness to centuries gone by. These include the magnificent 12th-century Romanesque church and the five fortified castles: the baronial château, the château d'Harcourt, the Gouzon keep, the Flins tower and the château de Montléon.
Near Saint-Pierre church is the Musée des Traditions Populaires et d'Archéo, a reconstruction of a Poitevin interior and an exhibition of objects, headdresses and old clothes. The museum also has an area dedicated to ancient crafts.
The Espace d'Archéologie Industrielle, located in the Gouzon dungeon, is dedicated to the history of Chauvin's industrial heritage. From the top of the dungeon, there is a beautiful panoramic view over the roofs of the medieval town and the surrounding countryside.
The town of Ruffec boasts a remarkable Romanesque church, the Eglise Saint-André, whose sculpted façade depicts the Ascension. After visiting the church, stroll through the narrow streets of the old town and discover the charming banks of the river Lienne, the wash-house, the mill and the remains of the old castle.
For the more adventurous among you, you will find here an ideal starting point for kayaking, perfect for exploring the region from the water. La base Canoë Kayak Rejallant
The medieval town of Confolens, at the confluence of the Vienne and Goire rivers, forms a particularly harmonious whole, with its 13th-century fortified Pont Vieux bridge, its pretty houses on the banks of the Vienne and its Saint-Maxime church with its Gothic bell tower.
The Château de La Rochefoucauld, the jewel in the crown of the Angoumois region, was built in the 11th century and rebuilt many times over the centuries.
This remarkable Renaissance-style building overlooks the River Tardoire. Its square keep, courtyard, spiral staircase, furnished lounges, waiting room, Marguerite de Valois's boudoir, library and Gothic chapel are well worth a visit.
The small village of Oradour-sur-Glane in Haute-Vienne is famous for the massacre that took place there on 10 June 1944. In the afternoon, 200 soldiers from the SS Das Reich division invaded the peaceful village. What was supposed to be a simple identity check turned into a bloody massacre. Men, women and children were shot and burnt in cold blood. In all, the Nazis murdered 642 people, including 207 children.
The village, a symbol of Nazi barbarity and a place of remembrance, has remained unchanged ever since. During your visit, the burnt-out cars and houses will give you an idea of the scale of the massacre. In the main street leading to the fairground, you can read the various commemorative plaques.
Near the village, the Remembrance Centre offers an overview of the history of Nazism, from its birth to that tragic day, through an exhibition that encourages reflection on peace and human rights. To pay tribute to those who died, the Centre has been working since 2014 to find their faces so that they can be engraved. More than 500 have been found to date.