Help Mélusine save her tower!
Brave knights, to join your fairytale guide, go to the Vouvant Tourist Office and ask for the mission “We must save Mélusine’s tower”. Equipped with a virtual reality headset and an app on your phone, you’re ready for your journey back to the XIIIᵉ century!
Your destination? The year 1242, as the King of France, Louis IX, prepares to lay siege to the castle of Vouvant. Mélusine has made a mistake, and she needs your help to organise the defence of her tower by completing a number of interactive tests. Children, parents, fans of the history of the Vendée, those curious about new technologies… Everyone is invited to take part to make up for Mélusine’s blunder and avoid changing the course of history!
Thanks to virtual reality, the life of the old Lusignan fortress (which corresponds to today’s Place du Bail and the tower) unfolds before your eyes. Mélusine will guide you as you go from anecdote to enigma to discover the fortifications of Vouvant. The icing on the cake: your adventure ends with a magnificent panoramic view over the edge of the Mervent-Vouvant forest! Shall we get started?
Time travel, historical adventure!
Your mission takes you back to the 13th century, to the foot of Vouvant castle. Mélusine first tells you about its strategic foundation in the Xᵉ century, then its development by the Lusignan family 200 years later.
After discovering the reconstruction of the castle courtyard and fortifications, the alarm is sounded! The King of France is at the gates of Vouvant and the siege has to be organised without Geoffroy de Lusignan, who is mysteriously absent… Always accompanied by Mélusine, you tour the castle to prepare the defences .
Well, guard room, lord’s chamber and the top of the Mélusine tower… Your mission allows you to learn more about daily life in the XIIIᵉ century. From medieval beauty tips to the organisation of a siege, discover all the secrets of Vouvant Castle before witnessing the battle from the top of the keep. It was hot!
Vouvant, home of the fairy Mélusine
Did you know that you were in a legendary village? If Vouvant is classified as a Petite Cité de Caractère® and Plus Beau Village de France®, it’s not just for the beauty of its village, but also because it has magical origins.
Cursed by her mother, Mélusine was condemned to have her legs turned into fishtails every Saturday. The only way for her to save herself was to find a husband who would never want to see her like this. She thus befriended Raymondin de Lusignan, Count of Poitiers, to whom she promised glory and power. For him, she built the castle of Vouvant in a single night: the Mélusine Tower was born!
But, urged on by his jealous brother, Raymondin finally gave in to the sensation and caught Mélusine in the bath on a Saturday, condemning her to remain under that guise for eternity! Fleeing Raymondin and the Vendée, she curses the fortress she has built. Some say you can still hear her wandering around the top of the Vouvant tower… Dare you climb to the top to help her?
