Jean-Claude Boulard : Carré Plantagenêt Museum

The Carré Plantagenêt museum, in Le Mans

The Jean-Claude-Boulard museum, called Carré Plantagenêt, is the main history and archaeology museum of Le Mans, on the edge of the Plantagenet City. The Le Mans audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this journey through time, from Prehistory to the modern era, famous for its vestiges of the ancient city of Vindunum, its mosaics and the model of the Roman city.

The journey through the history of Le Mans

Welcome to the Jean-Claude-Boulard museum, better known by the name of Carré Plantagenêt, the main history and archaeology museum of Le Mans. Nestled on the edge of the Plantagenet City, it invites you to a true journey through time. The museum bears the name of Jean-Claude Boulard, former mayor of Le Mans and great defender of heritage, but it is especially known by the appellation of Carré Plantagenêt, in a nod to the historic dynasty born here, that reigned over a vast empire in the Middle Ages. From the entrance, the scene is set: cut flints, pottery, old weapons, everyday objects. The visit begins at Prehistory and takes you progressively towards the Gallo-Roman era, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and to the modern era, retracing millennia of human occupation on this territory. One of the strong points of the museum is the vestiges of the ancient city of Vindunum, with notably fine mosaics, funerary steles and an impressive model of the Roman city, that allows to measure the importance of Le Mans in Antiquity. The great pride of the Carré Plantagenêt remains doubtless the enamel of Geoffrey Plantagenet, a medieval masterpiece of exceptional finesse. Pedagogical and richly endowed, the museum offers a fascinating plunge into the history of the city and its region. A history museum and an archaeological treasure, the Carré Plantagenêt museum is a fine stop of the discovery of Le Mans.

What to see

Here you discover the main history and archaeology museum of Le Mans, that retraces Prehistory, the Gallo-Roman era, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the modern era; its strong points are the vestiges of the ancient city of Vindunum, mosaics, steles and the model of the Roman city, as well as the famous enamel of Geoffrey Plantagenet. The Carré Plantagenêt museum is a treasure of Le Mans. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Carré Plantagenêt museum lies on the edge of the Plantagenet City, in the centre of Le Mans, reachable on foot. The opening hours and the conditions of entry follow those of the establishment, which vary; access is generally paying. It is best to enquire before coming.

What to see at the Carré Plantagenêt museum of Le Mans?

A journey from Prehistory to the modern era, with as strong points the vestiges of the ancient city of Vindunum, fine mosaics, funerary steles and a model of the Roman city, as well as the famous enamel of Geoffrey Plantagenet, a medieval masterpiece; it is the main history and archaeology museum of Le Mans, on the edge of the Plantagenet City.

Where is the Carré Plantagenêt museum in Le Mans?

On the edge of the Plantagenet City, in the centre of Le Mans, in France.