Rebuilt after 1944 destructions, the city of Saint-Lô nevertheless preserved its charm with its ramparts and its towers dominating the Vire valley.
The collection at the Fine art museum recounts the history of tapestry from the 16th century to our days and features the 16th-century wall hanging "La Tenture des Amours de Gombault et Macée".
Restored to its former glory after the Second World War, the Saint-Lô national stud farm is one of the largest in France and offers guided tours for visitors. During the “Jeudis du Haras” Thursday open days, from the end of July to September, stallions are presented to visitors.
Second largest city of the Channel, just after Cherbourg, Saint-Lô is the Prefecture of the Normandy department. City martyrdom of World War II, it was severely affected at this sad time, obtaining the nickname Capital of Ruins.
At the heart of the Cotentin peninsula, a few kilometers from the sea of the Channel, the city of Saint-Lô is now considered the capital of the Horse. Proud of its roots, which date back to Viking times, the city can appreciate a rich heritage and beautiful buildings. Surrounded by ramparts, the prefectural city still allows to realize the former wealth of the city before its destruction.
City Saint-Lô is resolutely turned towards the future city. In the middle of the old stones, modern buildings stand, blending perfectly with past, present and future.
Between walks in Normandy, and tasting a rich and subtle cuisine that blends seafood and local produce such as cream, milk or butter, visitors have plenty to enjoy their stay Saint-Lô.
If Saint-Lô suffered greatly during the Second World War and lost part of its architectural heritage, the town does not have one less beautiful sites to discover.
Built in the late thirteenth century, the church Our Lady of Saint-Lô is a superb gothic monument. Listed historical monument, it is located in the enclosure surrounded the city walls. If the building has suffered bombings, it has retained its beautiful stained glass windows, filed in the Second World War.
Many Saint-Lô sites were listed as Historic Monuments, like the Magdalen Chapel, Castle Vaucelle that greeted the three kings, Edward III, Francis I and Charles IX, or of the Holy Cross Church. The National Stud and its grounds, are also classified. Erected between 1882 and 1890, the current buildings were rebuilt identically after the Second World War. Today the site hosts nearly forty stallions Norman cobs and French stool. Many events are organized in the summer.
Public hospital, the hospital memorial France - United States was classified as an historic monument in 2008. It was built after collecting donations, from 1947, following the horrors of World War II.
The city walls of Saint-Lô remain on three of four sides of the Yard. Their heights, one can enjoy an amazing view over the Vire and the Powder Tower, a military relic.
The Museum of Fine Arts houses since the late 1980s the collections of the city including paintings by Corot and Eugène Boudin to.
Set in a seventeenth-century farmhouse, the Normandy museum aims to trace the history and ethnography of agriculture in Normandy. A workshop, stables, a barn or a butter have been rebuilt there.
Many parks situated throughout Saint-Lô, like green beach, Vire Islands, the towpath, or public garden located in the Yard.
Saint-Lô, despite its painful past, has retained a love of life that permeates all the events offered by the city.
In June, the feast of the Vire and Associations and the opportunity to enjoy numerous festivities. A regional market offers the best products of the area, village associations to discover the different activities of the city, while traditional wooden games or sports activities are offered.
The appointments are an ambitious sonic festival full of originality. In November, the city of Saint-Lô offers concerts of all kinds of music, be it pop, folk, hip-hop or electro.
Many markets Saint-Lô take place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays morning in different places of the city. From June to early September Virées offer local regional market and crafts on the green beach, Thursday evening.
Exposition : Les Enfants de la Résistance
- From 9 april to 4 may 2024
- Place du Champ-de-Mars
- June 1940. The French army could no longer repel the German military forces. The debacle ! - In a small village in the east of France, François, Eusèbe and Lisa courageously join the Resistance network. Their adventures, full of twists and turns, are recounted in the famous comic strip Les Enfants de la Résistance ? - Visit the "L a Source" media library in Saint-Lô and rediscover them in this fun and educational exhibition, on loan from the Bibliothèque Départementale de la Manche.
Expo Philippe Bertin
- From 16 april to 11 may 2024
- Médiathèque La Source, Place du champ de Mars
- From April 16 to May 11 at Saint-Lô's "La Source" media library, you can admire an exhibition of the 44 portrait plates in Philippe Bertin's book.
L'Évasion de l'Aviateur Anglais...
- From 20 april to 4 may 2024
- Place du Champ-de-Mars
- Like François, Lisa and Eusèbe, you decide to join the LYNX network. Your first mission is to help an Allied pilot, Jack, reach England. False papers, a safe house, ration coupons and secret codes… nothing must be left to chance ! - Open-access treasure hunt during opening hours (ages 8 and up) - Contact the youth reception desk at the "La Source" media library in Saint-Lô.
Structure Gonflable au Centre Aquatique
- From 22 april to 3 may 2024
- 85 Rue Yvonne Godard
- If you love adventures with family and friends, don't miss our Wednesday and Thursday "inflatable aquatic structure" afternoons. Come and have fun with us at the Saint-Lô Agglo aquatic center ! - > Access to the structure is authorized only for children and adults who know how to swim !
Les Activités 3/6 ans > "Dans Tous ses États"
- On 26 april 2024
- Place du Champ-de-Mars
- The Musée d'Art et d'Histoire is offering a "Dans tous ses états" activity on Friday April 26,2024, at 11 a.m. (duration 45 min.), for 3/6 year-olds (free for accompanying adults). - This visit will introduce children to the world of emotions by observing, listening, drawing and miming. In the workshop, the puppets created by the children will come to life !
Concerts > Tribute Fest
- On 27 april 2024
- Place du Champ-de-Mars
- Join us on April 27 at Le Normandy in Saint-Lô for Tribute Fest. - On the program : - > ac/dc by The Jack. - > The Beatles by The Beatles Artifact. - > Guns N Roses by Guns for Illusion.
Les Ateliers Famille > "Muséographie"
- On 28 april 2024
- Place du Champ-de-Mars
- The Musée d'Art et d'Histoire offers a "Museography" family workshop, at 3pm (duration 1h30), for children aged 5 and over. - Let's discover a museum profession : art director, by inventing a new museum using models.
Atelier > Souffle le Vent
- On 30 april 2024
- 10 Rue Saint-Georges
- On Tuesday April 30,2024, from 2pm to 3pm, the Pavillon des Energies is offering a wind workshop entitled "Souffle le vent" (for children aged 6 and over). - Build a mini-wind turbine and learn how these modern windmills work. - Reservations required.
Les Ateliers Vacances > "Pixel Beaux-Arts"
- On 30 april 2024
- Place du Champ-de-Mars
- The Musée d'Art et d'Histoire offers a "Pixel Beaux-Arts" vacation workshop, at 3pm (duration 1h30), for 6/12 year-olds. - What if the museum's works could in turn create a video-game universe ? Let's go from platform to platform in search of characters and settings, and imagine a screen from this video game.
Exposition "Postérité" de Jo Reeman, Eutherpe et Romaric M.
- From 2 to 31 may 2024
- 10 Rue Saint-Georges
- The Pavillon des Energies presents an exhibition from May 2 to 31. - At the crossroads of cinephile nostalgia and multiple graphic techniques, three artists come together to revisit cinematographic iconography, whether from Hollywood or elsewhere. - The program includes 18 posters with a nostalgic, surrealist, feminist, fantastical or even Arlesian flavour, using techniques as varied as drawing, collage and computer graphics. - Free admission.