Description of the attraction
Perhaps the main circumstance that can attract the attention of a Russian tourist to the building of the city hall of Amboise is the fact that it contains pistols that participated in the duel between Alexander Pushkin and Georges Dantes.
The pistols belonged to the son of the French ambassador, Ernest de Barant, a friend of the Viscount d'Arsiac, who was Dantes' second. After the fatal duel on the Black River in 1837, the weapon changed hands several times until it was acquired by a collector who collected everything related to the history of the post office. The pistols turned out to be connected with the history of mail through A. S. Pushkin, who wrote the story "The Station Keeper". The weapon was kept for many years in the postal museum in Amboise and was even exported to the USSR to participate in the exhibition. French President François Mitterrand even wanted to make a broad diplomatic gesture and hand them over to Mikhail Gorbachev during his visit to the country, but the inhabitants of Amboise opposed this and defended the city relic. Later, the mail museum was closed, and the pistols were kept in the safe of the city hall. By the way, in Amboise there is a square named in honor of the great Russian poet; there is a memorial plaque on it with the dates of his birth and death. As a souvenir from Amboise, you can bring local sweets with the name "Pushkin".
The town hall building in Amboise was built in 1505, it stands on the embankment among other medieval mansions. A museum has been created at the town hall, which contains documents and other exhibits telling about the history of Amboise, works of art, including a part of the exhibition dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci, antique furniture and tapestries from Aubusson. The Town Hall Museum is open to visitors during the summer months.
