Although there was a settlement in La Roche-sur-Yon since the middle ages, the true story of the town began on May 24, 1804.
That was the day Napoleon enacted the Royal Decree on the transfer of rights. Regional forces for a whole new town. La Roche-sur-Yon is the result, a street network designed with pentagonal borders. The town is organized around a stunning central Plaza, Place Napoléon and was built in just a few decades. It’s all an interesting tale, told by the town’s dominating Neoclassical buildings. And here in the Vendée department, you’re halfway between the ocean and the award-winning Puy du Fou theme park, so there’s no lack of inspiration for days out. Discover the best things to do in La Roche-sur-Yon.
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1. Place Napoléon
Exactly the place to start your visit to La Roche-sur-Yon, Place Napoléon is one of the largest public areas in France. It’s a gigantic plaza with avenues and water gardens around an equestrian statue of the emperor.
Many of the town’s big attractions are on the square, and we’ll come to them shortly. But there are also lots of low-key but interesting sights that you can look out for on a stroll. The Grande Auberge received Napoleon on August 8, 1808, and is one of a few amenities, like the Town Hall, that were approved in person by the emperor in 1805.
2. Les Animaux de la Place
La Roche-sur-Yon has found a wonderfully imaginative use for the water gardens on Place Napoleon. In the ponds are animatronic machines designed by François Delarozière. He’s the guy who made the mind-blowing moving sculptures at the Machines of the Isle of Nantes, which are now world-famous.
Here there are a crocodile, hippo, dromedary, otter, ibis, and flamingos that can be controlled from little stations by the ponds. You can make them open their eyes, lift their legs, spread their wings, all with the use of solar energy, cables, and hydraulic systems.
3. Église Saint-Louis
The monument that attracts attention to Place Napoleon is the striking neoclassical church, which began in 1817 and completed 12 years later.
The portico facing the square has six smooth, Tuscan-style columns, while the giant columns supporting the cavernous interior are Corinthian, and so are fluted and have dainty foliate capitals.
Throughout the 1800s the building had to deal with financial difficulties, and one way these were overcome was with trompe l’oeil murals in place of real ornaments. These images adorn the ceiling and walls in the nave, chorus, and walkway, representing medals and even architectural details such as stone carvings and balustrades.
4. Haras de la Vendée
La Roche-sur-Yon’s stud farm is something no equestrian fan should miss.
This prestigious facility, in 4.5 hectares of greenery, can tell you all sorts of things about the region’s culture: You can learn the history of the town’s cavalry, find out about Vendée’s traditional horse breeds, witness the old-time knowhow of saddlers and farriers, and make friends with the horses themselves.
But the Haras de la Vendée is also a functioning training center for equestrianism and puts on remarkable demonstrations on Thursday evenings in Spring and Summer. And the Haras is also the place to go if you’d like a horse-drawn tour of the town.
5. Musée Municipal
For a pinch of culture, the town’s museum deals mainly with contemporary photography and art from 1600-1900. Through donations and purchases, it has compiled a first-rate photography exhibition by Andy Warhol, Cindy Sherman, Jeff Wall, Thomas Ruff and many more.
They come with a buffer of about 500 small format photos from the 20s and 30s. The graphic art galleries here are also impressive, with 3,000 works, mostly from the 1800s and including the watercolors of the giant Eugène Boudin.
Finally, for sculpture, there is a bust of Auguste Rodin and a painting of Napoleon by Antoine-Denis Chaudet.
6. Musée du Chocolat Gelencser
The Maison Gelencser has been a fixture in La Roche-sur-Yon since 1956, and in 2014 it opened a museum presenting the world of chocolate and the history of this local brand. You can learn how cocoa is grown and harvested, but can also understand the savior of a master chocolate maker.
The whole experience is punctuated with tastings, in six areas across 300 square meters. At the end of 2016, La Roche-sur-Yon set up a competition for local artisans to create a culinary specialty.
And this was made by Patrick Gelencser, the creator of Nap Napline, a small bust of Napoleon's dark chocolate filled with praline and caramel.
7. Prieuré de Chassay-Grammont
It rarely has a monastery complex to survive as well as this priest, a short trip in the village of Saint-Prouant.
One explanation for its excellent state of repair is that it’s a very small place that only housed 10 monks at a time after it was founded by Richard the Lionheart in 1196. And these men lived a meager existence, surviving on nothing more than bread, fruit, and vegetables.
There’s a kitchen, chapterhouse, refectory, and rooms for visitors around the small chapel for worship.
8. Maison Renaissance
Thanks to the sweeping changes made to the town at the start of the 1800s there is not a lot left from before that time. But the Maison Renaissance on the Place de la Vieille Horloge is one.
It’s an Italianate mansion from 1566 and is indeed the oldest building in La Roche-sur-Yon. Built from granite, the house has a magnificent spiral stairway and marvelous stone fireplaces in its rooms.
And it’s the place to catch up on the transformations that happened in the town after 1804, outlining this feat of urban planning. In addition, there was a retrospective copy of René Couzinet, the pioneer aviation engineer and manufacturer whose factory was located outside the town.
9. Centre Beautour
On the graceful estate of the Vendée naturalist, Georges Durand is a center that lets you discover the biodiversity around La Roche-sur-Yon.
When Durand passed away in 1964 he bequeathed his large collections of butterflies and birds to the town, but after his death, his beautiful home had been left to deteriorate for 40 years until the municipality stepped in a decade ago and gave it a makeover.
So now, in 8.5 hectares of parkland the house and its visitor center exhibits Durand’s collections and have a load of complementary displays about Vendée’s wildlife.
10. Théâtre Municipal
A grand theatre had been planned in La Roche-sur-Yon ever since Napoleon’s decree, and for the first few decades of the 19th century, performances were actually held in the central chamber of the town’s covered market.
The theatre was finally completed in 1845 and in keeping with the rest of La Roche-sur-Yon has resplendent Neoclassical architecture, with a Tuscan-style portico on its facade and gleaming white stone.
The institution is a French “scène nationale”, so it has a big role in the region’s cultural development. Check the dance, theatre, music and literature listings to see if something suits you, as the wooden interior and horseshoe layout allow for exceptional acoustics.
More ideals for you: Top 10 things to do in Grosseto
from : https://wikitopx.com/travel/top-10-things-to-do-in-la-roche-sur-yon-708618.html
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