Every design for Laval

Laval spreads along both banks of the Mayenne, in a green valley halfway between Rennes and Le Mans, with its old castle perched on a rocky promontory above the water. Farmland and hedged fields roll out on every side, and the town's daily rhythm still follows the river, its quays and its old bridges.

It is a town people remember for its calm. The Lavallois live with medieval houses, stretches of the old town walls and church towers as their everyday backdrop, and the Basilique Notre-Dame d'Avesnières as a familiar silhouette. The Bateau-lavoir Saint-Julien is another of its fixtures, and La Perrine gives the town a park to stroll in. This is also where the painter Henri Rousseau was born, and Laval honours him with a museum devoted to naïve art, the Musée d'Art Naïf et des Arts Singuliers. Linen weaving kept the town busy for centuries; today dairy, electronics and industry do.

Coming back to Laval means seeing Le Vieux Château on its rock again, and knowing you are home.