Photo : Pymouss / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Musée de la Cavalerie
The Cavalry Museum is in Saumur (Maine-et-Loire), in the former stables of the Cadre Noir, a building listed as a historic monument and built from 1827.
Over about 1,400 m², a chronological route traces five centuries of French cavalry history, from the creation of the ordinance companies by Charles VII in 1445 to today's armoured vehicles, through the world wars and the conflicts in Indochina and Algeria. You see uniforms, weapons, armour, harnesses, standards, badges, paintings and souvenirs of great campaigns. Remarkable pieces of the First Empire, from the Barbet de Vaux bequest, are also on show.
The museum also houses the Institut français du cheval et de l'équitation, which presents more than three centuries of equestrian know-how through objects and documents: riding, driving, saddlery, breeds and genetics. A documentation centre of about 18,000 books can be consulted by appointment.
The place will delight enthusiasts of military history and horses, as well as visitors to Saumur, the capital of the horse.
