Loire Valley to celebrate 500 years of Renaissance in 2019

The Loire Valley region will celebrate the artistic, scientific and intellectual effervescence of the Renaissance in France as the year 2019 will mark the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci at Amboise, the start of the construction of the Château of Chambord and the birth of Catherine de’ Medici in Florence.
The region aims to adopt an association with major contemporary art venues such as the FRAC (regional contemporary art collection) in Orléans, the CCCOD (Olivier Debré Centre for Contemporary creation) in Tours, the Transpalette in Bourges and the Regional Domain of Chaumont-sur-Loire, an Arts and Nature Centre.
The 2019 celebrations will cover major themes of the Renaissance including heritage, arts and literature, music, gardens, science and technological revolutions, architecture, craftsmanship and gastronomy. A cultural programme is currently being put together, composed of different highlights including a large travelling digital show mixing contemporary artistic and musical creation, an international architecture competition, guided tours, banquets, many exhibitions, international symposiums, etc.