Vezins: Castle History, Crafts and Circular Walking Routes

You can get to know Vezins through its architectural and craft history, as well as through walking routes that take in former brickworks, granite quarries and ponds. If you are looking for a hotel in Vezins, these themes offer a concrete starting point for deciding which aspects of local history and landscape matter to you during your stay. They range from a 17th-century educational mission to a leisure facility with play and equipment-hire options.

Castle, Convent and Crafts

The community of the Couvent des Cordelières was founded in 1650 with the obligation to provide free lessons to the parish’s girls. This educational mission is part of the area’s history. The fortified Castle of Vezins was built around the 12th century by the De La Porte family. Its building history includes several turning points: by order of Louis XIII, the towers and fortifications were demolished, before the castle was rebuilt in 1770. After a fire in 1794, it was reconstructed on the same foundations in the 19th century. The building thus shows its medieval origins, later alterations and a reconstruction.

Crafts and trades are also concrete points of reference in the area. The weavers’ house at 30, rue de Cheneveau, is one of the last surviving weavers’ houses in Vezins. It once had 150 to 180 handlooms. This figure shows the former scale of weaving; the surviving house recalls the built heritage associated with the trade. The choir, altar and tower of today’s church in Vezins are distinguished by their different materials and forms: the choir is surrounded by wood panelling, the high altar is carved from hard stone, and the church tower is crowned by a polygonal limestone dome. There are also heraldic windows.

Circular Routes to Brickworks, Granite and Ponds

The circular routes focus on different themes. The Terre de Brique mountain-bike route passes through former brickworks that are part of Vezins’ municipal heritage. Crêtes et Chirons runs through Vezins, La Tourlandry and Saint-Georges-des-Gardes, and focuses on Vezins’ former granite quarries. The De l'Uzelière aux Landes circular route starts and ends in Vezins. It is 6.5 kilometres long, marked in blue and listed as taking 1 hour and 35 minutes.

La Glaise et les Etangs passes through an area with ponds and heads back towards the former Les Poteries station. The route then runs alongside a former brickworks with a settling basin and washhouse. The differences are useful when comparing the routes: Terre de Brique focuses on the former brickworks, Crêtes et Chirons features the granite quarries, and La Glaise et les Etangs combines ponds with traces of brickmaking. When planning your trip, you can therefore weigh up whether you are more interested in craft history, the former extraction of granite or a route through a landscape shaped by ponds.

Leisure and Regional Games Tradition

The Coulée des Douves leisure facility in Vezins offers play areas for families and groups, as well as Teqball, table football and a zip line. Balls and equipment for badminton, Mölkky and pétanque are available to borrow free of charge. Alongside the historic buildings and themed walking routes, this provides a concrete leisure option with several activities.

There is also a court for Boule de fort at Cercle Bel’Air. This traditional game from the Pays de la Loire is listed in France’s inventory of intangible cultural heritage. This cultural reference complements the history of the convent, castle and weaving with a games tradition. Together, the places and routes show different sides of Vezins: its eventful architectural history, former crafts, the landscape around the brickworks and granite quarries, and its games and leisure activities.

Discover more destinations: Saint-Rémy-La-Varenne, Ambillou-Château, Chemillé-Melay, Montrevault, Saint-Michel-Et-Chanveaux, Pruillé, Beauvau, Grézillé.

For the main travel overview: Maine-Et-Loire.