With its towering turrets and imposing façade, Saumur’s city hall certainly turns heads. Built in the style of traditional Anjou architecture, the building is also home to a rather unusual item – a stone that was once part of the Bastille. This unique memento was brought back by a young local man who took part in the Storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789. Although it was first presented upon his return, the stone didn’t reach its current resting place until 1890. If you scan the front of the building today, you’ll see it on the part named La Maison Forte. The plaque framing it also features an engraved map of the fortress, with the inscription ‘Given by Aubin Bonnemère, native of this city’.
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