The birthplace of the famous Tatin tart, Lamotte-Beuvron is a commune of the Loir-et-Cher region in the Center-Loire Valley region. It takes place in the heart of Sologne, on the Beuvron, not far from Romorantin-Lanthenay, and an hour's drive from Blois and its famous castle.
A former capital of hunting at the beginning of the 20th century, the Tatin sisters' fiefdom was called La Mothe-sur-Beuvron until the 19th century, a remnant of its old castral motte, of which nothing survives. A small agricultural village, the town developed in the course of the 19th century with the arrival of the railway and to the emperor Napoleon III who acquired the castle in 1852, and ordered many constructions like the school or the town hall.
Famous for its culinary specialties, the city of Lamotte-Beuvron also unveils a charming architectural heritage that bears witness to the importance and influence of Napoleon III in the nineteenth century.
If one knows nothing of the primitive construction installed on a feudal mound, the actual castle of Lamotte-Beuvron dates back to the 16th century. It was partly shaved in the 17th century and rebuilt in the 19th century. Today it reveals a part in the middle of the 16th century, a part of the left built in the middle of the 17th century, and finally a part built under Napoleon III. Under the impulse of the emperor, the building became an agricultural example for Sologne, developing model farms everywhere. It became a rehabilitation center for the young at the end of the 19th century and has been dedicated to horse riding since the early 1990s. The headquarters of the French Equestrian Federation has been in the area since the late 2000s, and the castle, under renovation, should host a museum.
Inscribed in the Historic Monuments, Sainte-Anne church dates from the middle of the XIXe century. In the Neo-Renaissance style, it has preserved from the original 17th-century building a black marble epitaph indicating the burial of Henri de Durfort, son of the local lord who died at the end of the 17th century. The building was partly financed by the Emperor Napoleon III.
Built in the second half of the 19th century thanks to the personal and financial involvement of Napoleon III, the town hall of Lamotte-Beuvron reveals a facade reminiscent of that of a medieval castle.
The forest of Lamotte-Beuvron, which occupies a large part of the territory of the municipality, is an ideal place to appreciate the local flora and fauna and to take advantage of the marked and organized hiking trails.
Walking through the city, you will be able to admire the Hotel Tatin, gastronomic relay once renowned. It was here that the Tatin sisters invented, by chance, the recipe for the famous Tatin tart.
The market is held every Friday morning. A Christmas market is also organized at the end of the year. At the beginning of September, the city offers a garage and a fair.
On July 14th, for the National Day, the town offers a ball and a fireworks display.
At the end of July, the feast of the Sainte-Anne proposes its animations like a fair, a ball or a guinguette.
The Lamotte-Beuvron film festival is organized every year around a different theme at the beginning of October.
In mid-October, place at Lamotte in celebration and at its entertaining evening.
