Bauge en anjou

Baugé-en-Anjou is a town in the Maine-et-Loire department, in the Pays de la Loire region, formed from the merger of several villages around the historic town of Baugé. It is best known for the Château de Baugé, built in the 15th century by King René of Anjou, which now houses period furniture and local history collections. Nearby stands the Apothicairerie of the Saint-Joseph hospital, a remarkable set of 17th-century wooden cabinets and earthenware jars, bearing witness to early hospital pharmacies. The town also retains the Saint-Laurent-et-Saint-Martin church and a typical Anjou architectural heritage, with houses built from local tuffeau stone. Set on the edge of the Chandelais forest, the area offers a green setting well suited to walking and hiking. The surrounding countryside is shaped by vineyards and by the nearby Baugeois plateau, a still largely rural area. Baugé-en-Anjou makes a quiet base for exploring the Loire Valley, within reasonable reach of Angers and Saumur, offering an authentic rural setting away from the busier tourist sites along the Loire.