Trélazé: Discover slate history and culture

Trélazé combines the history of slate mining with an extensive natural area and several cultural attractions. When planning a stay, you can choose different points of focus: the Écomusée tells the story of mining, the Parc des Ardoisières takes you through a landscape of former mining sites, and digital offerings reveal more of the city. Theatre, concerts and the festival complete the picture. If you’re looking for a hotel in Trélazé, these themes can help you decide which aspects of the place you’d like to explore during your stay.

Slate history at the Écomusée

The Écomusée de l’Ardoise is partly housed in a 15th-century building made of slate. Guided tours are offered in its exhibition rooms, along with a demonstration of slate splitting. Both the historic building and the working of the material are therefore central to the visit. Visitor arrangements may change seasonally. Check the latest visitor information beforehand, especially if you plan to include a guided tour or demonstration in your day.

The Parc des Ardoisières

The Parc des Ardoisières is now a natural area of almost 100 hectares, with old quarries and slate spoil heaps. The natural landscape was created by transforming a former slate quarry. As a result, traces of past mining meet a natural area that extends across a large expanse. An orienteering course runs through the old quarries and spoil heaps, offering a practical way to explore these defining landscape features. If you plan to take the course, check the route materials before your trip.

Digital ways to explore the city

The Trélazé Découverte web application offers a route to ten points of interest in the city. It can give your exploration a thematic structure; check whether the application is available before your trip. Trélazé Découverte also offers a virtual-reality film, which can be viewed at an installed media station in the Pôle Hervé-Bazin. The film covers 600 years of slate mining and is based on accounts from the Passeurs d’histoire and archival research. The city route and the film offer different ways to explore: the application takes you to several locations, while the film focuses on the long history of mining.

Historic sites and culture

The industrial history is also present at specific sites beyond the Écomusée. The Anciennes Écuries des ardoisières once served as stables for the draught horses used in the mines. The Théâtre de l’Avant-Scène is located on the historic site of Trélazé’s first match factory and hosts concerts and theatre performances. Here, a former industrial site has been given a cultural use. The Festival de Trélazé has been a free event open to everyone since 1996. If you’re planning your stay around the festival or a performance, check the event dates beforehand.

La Loire à Vélo and practical planning

The La Loire à Vélo route passes through Trélazé’s former slate-mining area. The route also crosses the Authion on a hand-operated ferry; the ferry operates seasonally. This information is relevant when planning your route, but you should not assume the ferry runs year-round. Check the latest route details and information about seasonal ferry service before setting off. This lets you consider the slate history, the natural area and the route as separate points of focus when planning your trip.

Discover more destinations: Vihiers, La Salle-De-Vihiers, Parnay, Thorigné-D'anjou, Montjean-Sur-Loire, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Saint-Aubin-De-Luigné, Chazé-Henry

For the overview of the wider area: Maine-Et-Loire.