Vienne is the department of historic Poitou and of remembrance, a land of battles and pilgrimages where the routes to Santiago de Compostela intersect with the battlefields that shaped the course of French history. Poitiers, its capital, was the scene of two decisive victories: that of Charles Martel against the Saracens in 732, which halted Muslim expansion in Western Europe, and that of the Black Prince against John the Good in 1356.
Chauvigny, a medieval town where five ruined castles overlook the Vienne from their rocky outcrop, is one of the most spectacular castle complexes in the Centre-Ouest region. Angles-sur-l'Anglin, listed among the most beautiful villages in France with its romantic ruins reflected in the Anglin; Dissay, whose Renaissance castle was built for the Bishop of Poitiers; Le Haut-Bernet; Touffou-sur-la-Vienne… The department’s castle heritage is remarkably rich.
Futuroscope, an amusement park dedicated to the imagery and technologies of the future, stands in striking contrast to this medieval heritage, demonstrating the department’s ability to combine history and modernity in a unique regional dynamic.