Château de Laval

Château de Laval is a historic dual-structure fortress in Laval, Mayenne, whose foundation in the 10th century led to the city's establishment. Occupying a rocky promontory above the Mayenne River, the castle comprises two distinct architectural ensembles: the Vieux-Château (Old Castle), a medieval fortified structure, and the Château-Neuf (New Castle), a Renaissance gallery later converted into a courthouse in the 19th century. Both monuments were among the first 1,034 structures classified as French historical landmarks in 1840. Following service as a prison during the French Revolution, the château underwent transformation and has housed Europe's first museum of naive art since 1967, celebrating the visionary works of Henri Rousseau and the naive art movement.