Visitors in the spotlight at the Chateau de Baugé
Isabel Lowyck • sep 23, 2021
Image copyright © Guide-ID
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.
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.”

Image copyright © Guide-ID
"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.

Image copyright © Guide-ID
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”!
Photos: Château_de_Baugé©Vincent Jacques
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