Musée Charles VII

About the museum

The rock of Mehun-sur-Yèvre, a major defensive site in the Yèvre valley, carried about a dozen buildings known from archaeology. The powerful castles of the 11th and 13th centuries were followed, around the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries, by an elegant pleasure residence built for Duke Jean de Berry, whose upper parts looked like lace made of stone and glass.

King Charles VII liked to stay here and died here in 1461. After the king’s death the castle lost its political importance. It was set on fire in the 16th century and sold in 1793 as national property to a demolition contractor, who used the buildings as a quarry until 1815.

The keep, restored at the end of the 19th century, houses the Charles VII Museum. Each room has its own theme, from the kitchen and the guardroom of the castle to the Hall of Angels, which evokes everyday medieval life. The museum holds a rare archaeological collection of late 14th-century paving tiles decorated with the arms of the Duke of Berry, as well as pottery, everyday objects, weapons, miniatures and sculptures. From the top of the keep, forty meters up, the view extends over more than twenty kilometers.

Highlights

• Keep of the castle of Jean de Berry and Charles VII
• Heraldic paving tiles from the late 14th century
• Hall of Angels and guardroom
• Views over more than 20 km from the top of the keep
• Combined ticket with the Pôle de la porcelaine

Permanent exhibitions

• Château-musée Charles VII – The rooms of the keep present life in the Middle Ages, the castle of Jean de Berry and the memory of Charles VII’s court, with a view from the top of the tower.
• Pôle de la porcelaine – A glass museum on the banks of the Yèvre presents Berry porcelain from the 19th century up to the interwar period; it is included in the combined ticket.

Founded

1903

Operated by

Ville de Mehun-sur-Yèvre

Admission & discounts

Free admission: European Heritage Days

Combined ticket for €6 covering the Charles VII castle museum, the Pôle de la porcelaine and the temporary exhibition.

Accessibility

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Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

The Pôle de la porcelaine holds the “Accueil Vélo” label and sits on the banks of the Canal de Berry.

Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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