Tourist information:
Known worldwide for its famous race track, Le Mans is also a city of gastronomy and heritage. Labelled "City of Art and History", Le Mans has preserved its cultural heritage while remaining a vibrant city that offers many leisure activities throughout the year.
Le Mans has been inhabited for a long time. A standing stone dating from prehistoric times, leaning on the cathedral, shows! Le Mans belonged to different dynasties throughout its history. It was first the Celts and Gallo-Romans who settled there. In the eleventh century, Le Mans was taken by the Duke of Normandy. The next century will be that of the birth of Plantagenet. Henry II was born at Le Mans in 1138 and became King of England. At the end of the twelfth century, the king of France, Philippe Auguste seized the city. Le Mans became a French city.
In the early twentieth century, American Wilbur Wright moved there to build his biplane and conduct flight tests.
Luckily, Le Mans was spared by the two World Wars, allowing it to retain a significant architectural heritage.
Le Mans is a true cultural city. It has many museums with different themes: the Tesse Museum, the Queen Berengaria Museum in the heart of Old Town, the Veron de Forbonnais Green Museum, and the collegiate church of Saint-Pierre la Cour which houses an archaeological museum and temporary exhibitions.
The city is dotted with monuments, full of history, open to the public. The Cathedral of St. Julien dating from the eleventh century and Gallo-Roman walls built there more than 1700 years ago, are some examples but you can visit whole districts of the city as monuments.
However, Le Mans is also and above all the legendary race of 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Automobile Museum of the Sarthe, near the circuit can teach you more about history, teams, drivers and of course cars.
