Historic castle in Sillé-le-Guillaume, with tall towers and a lush rural landscape in the background.

Sillé-le-Guillaume

Sillé-le-Guillaume was named after Guillaume de Sillé, the first lord of the town. In the 15th century, the lord of the manor was Sir John Fastolf of Caister in Norfolk, after the English conquest of Normandy and Maine.

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Mélanie - Travel on the Wheels

The small town of Sillé-le-Guillaume is located just 35km from Le Mans. It can be labeled as a "small town of character."

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Places to discover

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Coco-Beach

  • Nature
  • categories.leisure

Lake Sillé offers residents and visitors of the region numerous outdoor activities.

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Old castle of the Deffays called Oppidum

  • History
  • Monument

Long presented as the "Carolingian oppidum," the old castle has been identified since the end of the 1990s as a unique subject for its morphology, with no real equal in Maine. Interest in this site was revived in 2014-2015. It has thus been re-identified under its historical name of "Château des Deffays."

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Serf's Jump

  • Walk
  • Nature

A 15km walk for intermediate hikers.

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State Forest

  • Nature

Formerly the property of the barons of Sillé, the forest was purchased by Louis XIV in 1683 for his legitimized daughter, Mademoiselle de Blois. Since the end of the 16th century, the forest has been exploited to provide the charcoal necessary for metallurgy.

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The medieval castle

  • History
  • Monument

The castle was the residence of the baron of Sillé-le-Guillaume, one of the former baronies of Maine. The stronghold, being close to Brittany and Normandy, was the scene of many battles, including the assaults of William the Conqueror and the English army during the Hundred Years' War.

Surrounding areas