Trélazé can be explored through two defining themes: the history of slate mining and a variety of cultural offerings. At the Écomusée de l’Ardoise, guided tours are paired with a slate-splitting demonstration; the Parc des Ardoisières presents a former mining area as a natural space today. Other offerings include a virtual-reality film, theatre, concerts and a festival. If you are looking for a destination with several ways to experience its culture, you can choose between industrial history, landscape and stage performances.
The Écomusée: Slate as Building Material and Craft
The Écomusée de l’Ardoise offers guided tours of its exhibition rooms, as well as a demonstration of slate splitting. This brings together a guided look at the exhibits and a demonstration of the craft. The museum is partly housed in a 15th-century building made of slate. The material is therefore present both in the architecture and in the museum’s subject matter. Visit arrangements and demonstration times may change seasonally; check the latest information before making firm plans to visit.
Film and Digital Route
The Trélazé Découverte virtual-reality film covers 600 years of slate mining and is based on accounts by the Passeurs d’histoire and archival research. It can be viewed at an installed media station in the Pôle Hervé-Bazin. The Trélazé Découverte web application also offers a route to ten points of interest in the town. The film and digital route have different focuses: one centres on the history of slate mining, while the other takes you to several points around town. Before planning your visit, check whether the application is available if you would like to use the digital route.
The Parc des Ardoisières and La Loire à Vélo
The Parc des Ardoisières is now an almost 100-hectare natural space created by transforming a former slate quarry. Old quarry pits and slate spoil heaps shape the landscape. An orienteering course runs through the pits and spoil heaps; check the route information before you arrive. Compared with the Écomusée’s exhibition rooms, the park offers a view of slate history through a transformed landscape.
The La Loire à Vélo route also passes through Trélazé’s former slate-mining area. Along the route, the Authion is crossed by a hand-operated ferry; the ferry service is seasonal. Planning therefore requires taking into account both the stretch through the former mining area and the river crossing, which is available only during certain seasons. Check the route and ferry service before setting out.
Cultural Venues with Different Histories
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. Its stage hosts concerts, including classical music, jazz and chanson, as well as theatre performances. The two venues point to different aspects of the town’s history: the work of draught horses in the mines and the former match production.
The Festival de Trélazé adds an event to these cultural offerings that has been free and open to everyone since 1996. If you would like to plan your trip around a festival visit, check the dates for your stay.
Discover more destinations
Discover more destinations: Cheffes, Saint-Georges-des-Sept-Voies, La Jumellière, Maulévrier, Segré, Brissac-Quincé, Chemiré-sur-Sarthe, Blaison-Gohier
Return to the main travel overview: Maine-Et-Loire.
