Famous halt within the tourist destination Valley of the Loir, the city of Lude merged with the municipality of Dissé-sous-le-Lude under the name of Le Lude since January 2018. Located in the department of Sarthe in region Pays de la Loire, the Lude is 20 km southeast of La Flèche and 22 km southwest of Montval-sur-Loir.
Ideally located on the banks of the Loir, the Lude already had a fortified complex in the tenth century: the Fort de la Motte (located on the former site of the dairy). Because of its position as border between Anjou and Maine, the fort had the role of defending the Loir. It is in the thirteenth century that it will be decided to change the location of the castle in its current place. From its iconic castle, through the Fontaine Saint-Martin or the old hospital architecture typical of the eighteenth, the city of Lude is a witness of the history of French architecture.
