VIDEO. Château-Gontier, a city where life is good!

If you are looking for a small, quiet, pretty place, steeped in history and heritage and if possible, with its feet in a beautiful river, we have what you need: Château-Gontier, to discover in the next Envie Dehors. It’s this Sunday, January 15 at 12:55 p.m.

And if this winter weekend, warmly dressed, you were going to discover Château-Gontier, a small town of 17,000 inhabitants between Laval and Angers which overlooks the banks of the Mayenne. For several centuries the city, thanks to its river, lived from a rich and flourishing river trade. Today, the punts (flat-bottomed boat) and the motorboats only transport tourists with a breathtaking view of the upper town, but the city is experiencing a flourishing economic activity while having a reputation for tranquility jealously preserved by the Castrogontériens, name of its inhabitants.

A calm and quiet little town but full of energy!

Julie Hattu

presenter of Envie Dehors

A piece of advice, if you have the time, reach Château-Gontier by the river. In a few hours from Mayenne, you will enjoy a pretty cruise 60 kilometers of hilly panoramas rich in unsuspected heritage: castles, mansions, old villages! An experience to live also for the passage of the locks (the Mayenne has 37 all automated) and as many lock houses, some of which abandoned have been restored like that of Neuville, 7km north of Château-Gontier-sur-Mayenne.

That’s whereAntoine decided to settle there to practice a double job, that of lock keeper-cutler. After training as a nurse and teaching at a college, he returned to what enchanted his childhood, metal work.

This Mayennais, originally from Château-Gontier, then left to train for two years in Thiers, the knife capital, in Puy-de-Dôme, then he turned his passion into a profession. At home, some unique pieces he has made. One of them is called “l’Anjou”, a knife made the old-fashioned way: clean handle and rather design and which recalls the coat of arms of Anjou associated with a meander of the Mayenne river (the country of castle -Gontier was part of Anjou before the creation of the departments in 1790 and it was called Mayenne angevine).

The originality in this house is that you can make your own knife yourself. Julie Hattu, presenter of the show, couldn’t resist the urge to try her hand at the art of traditional cutlery:

After the practical work, I invite you to follow in Julie’s footsteps to discover the heart of the village. At the turn of small narrow cobbled streets, you will discover pretty half-timbered houses, the Saint-Jean-Baptiste church, one of the oldest in Mayenne. But also mansions, witnesses of a bourgeoisie enriched by the linen trade. Below, old ramparts and remains of the castle destroyed during the Hundred Years War.

Take a short detour to Les Halles, built in the 15th century and one of the oldest markets in the region. Stock up on a few local Mayenne products: goat’s cheese, seasonal fruit and go and taste them on the walk in the Jardin du Bout du Monde, a public garden overlooking the Mayenne. So go to the office of tourism. You will find plenty of information on the walks and activities offered throughout the year.

Château-Gontier is a sort of El Dorado, here unemployment barely exceeds 5% of the population and the economic fabric is rich. For example, it hosts its luxury brand Longchamp. The famous leather goods manufacturer has opened five production sites in the West of France (in Vendée, Maine-et-Loire and Mayenne)

For more than 70 years, men and women with golden hands have perpetuated the know-how of this family business. The Château-Gontier site employs around a hundred people. Leatherworkers meticulously work with materials to produce bags that are very much in tune with fashion.

Only, like all luxury brands, Longchamp jealously guards its manufacturing processes to avoid counterfeits and does not open the doors of the company to anyone. Only Julie Hattu was able to take a quick tour of the unit and was able to interview a stitcher who was very proud to belong to this prestigious house.

Martial archery: a Kyudo club in Château-Gontier

Travel to the Empire of the Rising Sun at Château-Gontier. It’s possible enthusiasts Jean-Jacques and Marie-Line launched in 2008, a kyudo club, a Japanese martial art still relatively unknown in France. In Pays-de-le-Loire, there are only 56 licensees (790 licensees in France). More than a sport, Kyudo is a spiritual discipline whose objective is to find the perfect balance between body and mind.

We use the largest bow in the world. It is between 2m21-2m32. It was a weapon of war for samurai on horseback during the feudal period. The kyudo, which means “way of the arc” (Kyu = the arc, do = the way), was popularized as a sport. Difficult for Julie to resist learning this art and all its ceremonial.

When you enter this discipline, it is often for life, it allows you to find a balance and face everyday obstacles more serenely!

Marie Line

Kyudo practitioner

The Ursuline Convent

Château-Gontier sur Mayenne is a city where life is good thanks to its economic but also cultural dynamism. On the left bank of the

Mayenne is the Convent of the Ursulines which became a cultural center 20 years ago. In the south and west wings of the cloister, there is now a national theater scene, a contemporary art center and dance and music conservatories. This building, whose origin dates back to 1634, when the population of Château-Gontier asked for help from the Ursuline nuns for the education of their young daughters. You can stroll through the cloister, the corridor of the cells (the former rooms of the sisters have become individual classrooms for the conservatory), the Gothic room in the Manoir de la Touche (15th century) which was the initial building of the school run by nuns. The hall is now used as a concert hall.

The main events of the year in Château-Gontier: the conservatory takes part in the national operation “La Nuit des Conservatoires” on 27 January, La Folle Journée in the Region on 28 and 29 January offers 8 classical music concerts (4 on the Stage of the Théâtre des Ursulines with the Scène Nationale le Carré and 4 in the new festive room of the Espace Saint-Fiacre). Summer is marked by the traditional La Chalibaude street arts festival on the weekend of June 24 and 25, the Quel Cirque festival, 5 summer meetings, the V & B Fest on August 25, 26 and 27 ( more than 90,000 festival-goers) and the BD festival on September 30 and October 1.

Want outside to see this Sunday January 15 at 12:55 p.m. on France 3 Pays de la Loire

Production: The New Days Productions

Directed by: Pascal Roul

Presented by: Julie Hattu

Editor-in-chief: Alexandra Lahuppe

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