Palais ducal de Nevers

Considered as the first of the Loire castles with its wide Renaissance façade surrounded by polygon turrets, it was built on the hill overlooking the center of the old town, the Republic Square and a big park.

[1] On the underground level, there is an avant-garde museum and a permanent exhibition representing the past and present life of Nevers in a very vivid way.

From the castle, the long tree-lined esplanade offering a panoramic view continues to stretch to the edges of the Loire.

Restored by the order of Pierre Bérégovoy in the 1980s, the palace now houses the town hall (including the Mayor's office and Council Chamber), part of the tourist office, exhibition halls, reception, a permanent exhibition on the history and advantages of the city (Formula One, earthenware, etc.

It was in front of the Ducal Palace that the President of the Republic François Mitterrand held his famous speech on May 4, 1993 about Pierre Bérégovoy, who had committed suicide on May 1: "All the reasons in the world cannot justify those people who could destroy the honor of a man, and finally his life at the price of a breach of fundamental laws of our Republic which protects the dignity and freedom of everyone of us".