Image copyright © Vincent Jacques
Winning over your first customer in a vast country like France is exhilarating. At least, that is how I felt when the Chateau de Baugé, in the Maine-et-Loire department, became Guide-ID’s first French client. I went there over the summer. Due to Covid-19, I had not had an opportunity to do so sooner. I was pleasantly surprised when I visited the chateau and encountered the vision of Isabelle Coulon, the Director for Tourism and Culture. While the chateau’s outward appearance is somewhat subdued, it bursts with life inside. The public has clearly been put at the heart of it. This heritage site is well thought-out with an underlying vision based on the needs of the contemporary visitor.
the renovations
Isabelle Coulon: “The aim of the renovations to the visitor route was to make the chateau accessible and really bring it to life. It tells the story of the life of the man behind its creation: René d’Anjou. When René inherited the ruins from his mother, Yolande d’Aragon, he set about rebuilding it. In 1454, he appointed Guillaume Robin as his official architect who turned the site into a stately country home vast enough to accommodate King René’s large court.
For the design of the new visitor route, we called on scenographer Christophe Berte and museographer Bruno Mousset from the Histoire de scenography agency. Everything was based on the building’s structure and using local materials. René had a great passion for nature and loved hunting, one of his favourite pastimes. After his hunting trips, he would hold magnificent feasts in the great hall of this hunting lodge, which was perfectly ample for the purpose. In those days, the contents of the chateau always moved with the owner, so there was no fixed inventory. A few items of 15th century furniture have been reconstructed based on illuminated manuscripts from the period. The advantage of these recreations is that the visitor can touch them and even use them! René loved all art forms and supported and commissioned works from a range of artists throughout his life: sculptors, painters, illuminators, goldsmiths etc. We were delighted to be able to open the visitor route in May 2021, after several postponements due to Covid-19. Our main role is to stimulate the visitors’ imagination and encourage them in a fun and interactive manner to learn about this chateau’s rich history.”
the audio tour
Once having bought a ticket at the desk, visitors will be guided to the start of the tour. They are shown to the free audio guides and told how to use Podcatcher (the name of our audio tour guide system). “Activate your Podcatcher and explore”. On the grand staircase, they will be invited to open a door: “Entrez! Le roi René vous attend….” Upon entering the room, visitors are greeted by King René in person, who will immediately tell the story of his life.
“The audio guide does not provide basic information, but rather an immersive layer to the themes covered in the tour. We wanted the visitor to leave the chateau with their heads filled with new discoveries. In the long term, we would like to give the audio guide a more central role and develop other routes, such as a quiz tour for example. Podcatcher is user-friendly and has already had a lot of positive feedback from the public.”
Everything at the chateau is designed to be accessible to all visitors, particularly children. There are lots of activities, touch screens, sensory models, etc. For example, in René’s private chamber, visitors can lie down on his bed and feel its red velvet covers. An unforgettable experience!
The loft, with its impressive truss, was the highlight of my visit. The original state of the building has been kept as much as possible here. Beautifully designed, ornate panels reveal that René was already environmentally conscious. For example, the timber for the roof truss was found in the nearby woods. A light and sound show, Les murmurs du palais, is held in one of the loft spaces. Far from being dry, this harmonious and aesthetic show brings the chateau’s story to life.
Multimedia is used in various parts of the route. For example, on the first floor, visitors can discover what life was like in the 15th century, with the banquet hall, the reception chamber where King René exhibited his wealth, the chapel with its display on the True Cross of Anjou, and the King’s private rooms. On the top floor, in addition to the roof truss and the lightshow, there is a gigantic knight (ready for battle?). There are also some beautiful animations of the woods reminding us that King René was a great lover of nature. At every stage of the tour, original and varied media accessible for all ages is used to immerse visitors in the reality of 15th-century royal life. An extra pair of eyes and ears would be handy in this museum, there is so much to experience. The public is enthusiastic. Here are some of the keen entries in the guestbook:
Congratulations to the Baugé team and Histoire de on their stunning achievements. I hope that many visitors will come to explore “King René’s palace”!