Taken in Touraine: La Poterne and Château du Lion, Preuilly-sur-Claise

There is rather more history behind this view than the reconstructed château might suggest. Today the 'Musée de la Poterne' occupies the former southern gateway of the Château du Lion, a building that later served as the town prison. Today, its collections tell a rather different story, with local archaeology and everyday life alongside a particularly interesting collection of Touraine lace and traditional headdresses. One room is devoted to the headdresses and lace, arranged to illustrate different stages of daily life.

The château behind it was reconstructed in the early 20th century on the site of the medieval fortress. The original castle had endured several sieges during the Hundred Years' War before being taken and dismantled by the English.

It is a good example of Preuilly-sur-Claise, where fragments of the medieval town sit alongside later buildings and reconstructions.

“In Touraine, even the silence tells a story.”

---

Part of the “Taken in Touraine” Series

Every Thursday, we pause somewhere in Touraine — a village, a vineyard, or a quiet riverside — to capture the spirit of this timeless Loire region.

Discover more about the Loire Valley
Browse the full series

© Experience Loire — Taken in Touraine · Back to Home

A simple stone bench beside the River Claise...

A simple stone bench beside the River Claise offers a peaceful place to pause in Preuilly-sur-Claise, one of Southern Touraine's oldest settlements. From here the river drifts quietly past, reflecting the trees and the village beyond, while life seems to move at a gentler pace.The Claise has shaped the village for centuries, powering mills, supporting local industry and providing a natural focus for everyday life.

On a warm summer afternoon, this bench is an invitation to slow down for a while and enjoy one of those understated corners of the Loire region that rarely makes the guidebooks but leaves a lasting impression.

“On Sundays, the Loire speaks softly — and you have time to listen.”

---

Part of the “My Sunday Bench” Series

Each Sunday, we share a quiet bench somewhere in the Loire — a small reminder that peace is often found where you simply stop to notice it.

Explore more moments from the Loire

© Experience Loire — My Sunday bench · Back to Home

Taken in Touraine - on the Claise

Not every crossing in Touraine is grand or monumental. Sometimes the reward is simply the view from a bridge. Along Rue du Bourg Neuf,in Preuilly-sur-Claise, the river slows, reflections settle and the surrounding greenery softens the edges of the village.

There is something quietly satisfying about scenes like this,the bridge draws the eye but the stillness beneath it holds the attention a little longer.

A reminder that in Touraine, some of the most memorable moments are not found at famous landmarks but in the spaces between them.

“In Touraine, even the silence tells a story.”

---

Part of the “Taken in Touraine” Series

Every Thursday, we pause somewhere in Touraine — a village, a vineyard, or a quiet riverside — to capture the spirit of this timeless Loire region.

 Discover more about the Loire Valley
Browse the full series

© Experience Loire — Taken in Tou raine · Back to Home 

Wednesday for windows - sometimes less says more.

There is something quietly satisfying about windows like these in the villages of Touraine. No grand display, just a few carefully chosen details behind the glass. Lace, filtered light and a hint of life indoors.

Preuilly-sur-Claise has long been a place of passage and quiet permanence, once known for its powerful abbey and position on old regional market routes. Walk its streets and small touches still matter: a painted door, an old barrel reused as a planter, curtains chosen as carefully as flowers. Sometimes a little subtle interior window dressing is all you need, proof that understatement can be every bit as rewarding.

“Through every window, the Loire breathes — calm, patient, and quietly luminous.”

---

Part of the “Windows of the Loire” Series

Each Wednesday, we share a glimpse of the Loire Valley through its windows — small frames of everyday beauty and quiet reflection.

See more from Experience Loire

© Experience Loire — Windows of the Loire · Back to Home

Windows on Wednesday...Preuilly-sur-Claise.

Not every window needs grand stonework or wrought iron to catch the eye. In Preuilly-sur-Claise, sometimes it is the small personal touches that make a façade memorable, a pair of colourful butterflies, a simple balcony rail, and an open window letting the light and air of the day inside.

These little details say as much about a place as its monuments. They show how people shape their homes quietly, adding colour and character to old streets that have seen centuries pass by. In villages like this, decoration is often less about display and more about everyday pleasure.

Preuilly-sur-Claise itself is one of the oldest settlements in southern Touraine, with a history shaped by its abbey, its château, and the Claise River that winds nearby. Yet it is often the smaller scenes, a shutter, a flowerpot, a window left open to the sun, that stay in the memory.

Windows & Balconies of the Loire Valley is a look at the charm found not only in castles and churches, but in the simple details of village life.

“Through every window, the Loire breathes — calm, patient, and quietly luminous.”

---

Part of the “Windows of the Loire” Series

Each Wednesday, we share a glimpse of the Loire Valley through its windows — small frames of everyday beauty and quiet reflection.

See more from Experience Loire

© Experience Loire — Windows of the Loire · Back to Home

On the streets of Touraine...Rue de la République in Preuilly-sur-Claise.

Saturdays are for wandering, for letting the streets of the Touraine lead wherever they please. Here, every doorway, street and quiet lane feels like a gentle conversation with time.

Here we are looking down Rue de la République in Preuilly-sur-Claise in Southern Touraine which once formed part of the Gallo-Roman road from Tournon Saint-Pierre to Le Mans with the original ford over the river Claise being at the bottom of the hill.

In the early afternoon autumnal light, little stirs on the street that perhaps once witnessed marching centurions and now plays host to the town’s Salle des Fêtes.

“The streets here don’t hurry. They simply invite you to walk, to notice, to belong.”

---

Part of the “On the Streets of the Loire” Series

Each Saturday, we stroll through the lanes and cobbles of Loire towns and villages — places where every step feels like a story.

See more from Experience Loire

© Experience Loire — On the Streets of the Loire · Back to Home

Taken in Touraine...reflections on the Claise.

Every Thursday, we wander through the landscapes and villages of Touraine, where time follows the gentle flow of the Loire.

This week’s scene comes from Preuilly-sur-Claise, where the Abbey is reflected on the river Claise and the willows fall like curtains. A quiet moment suspended between reflection and sky.

Here,Touraine’s beauty is never hurried, it invites you to pause, breathe, and listen to the echo of its history.

“In Touraine, even the silence tells a story.”

---

Part of the “Taken in Touraine” Series

Every Thursday, we pause somewhere in Touraine — a village, a vineyard, or a quiet riverside — to capture the spirit of this timeless Loire region.

Discover more about the Loire Valley
Browse the full series

© Experience Loire — Take

Wednesday for windows...windows of Preuilly-sur-Claise

 

The town of Preuilly-sur-Claise in Southern Touraine had flourished in the 19th century due to its agricultural and commercial activity,this resulted in the building of many substantial private mansions alongside a thriving working community. Today however, the town has lost some of its former glory evidenced by the need for some of these buildings requiring a fair bit of TLC. Despite this it is still well worth a visit to view its stunning Romanesque church and walk some of its pretty streets.

Pretty in Preuilly-sur-Claise

Street scene in Preuilly-sur-Claise in Southern Touraine.

 

On the streets of Touraine...Rue de l'Ormeau in Preuilly-sur-Claise

 Rue de l'Ormeau in Preuilly-sur-Claise in Southern Touraine.

Towering over...

 

Château des Lions in Preuilly-sur-Claise

Mon banc dominical / My Sunday Bench - in Preuilly-sur-Claise in Southern Touraine.

 

Awaiting spring by the river Claise in Preuilly-sur-Claise'

Vendredi et une vue - Preuilly-sur-Claise in Southern Touraine.

 

Tuesday for towns - Preuilly-sur-Claise in November.

Preuilly-sur-Claise under a beautiful November sky.

Mon banc dominical / My Sunday Bench - another 'pretty in Preuilly-sur-Claise'

 

Wednesday for windows...and fly-away shutters

In Preuilly-sur-Claise

Tuesday for towns...summer in Preuilly-sur-Claise

 

Mon banc dominical / My Sunday Bench

In Preuilly-sur-Claise.

Tuesday for towns in Centre-Val de Loire, Preuilly-sur-Claise

 

Images from Preuilly-sur-Claise in Southern Touraine.

Thursday's taken in Touraine - March sunset over the Claise.

From the bridge at Preuilly-sur-Claise