Hôtel Morin, Historical private mansion in Amboise, France

Hôtel Morin is a two-storey private mansion of light tuffeau ashlar under a steep slate hipped roof, with a corner tower capped by a conical slate roof and dormer windows with carved stone gables. Its facade shows three tiers of mullioned and transomed windows, and a richly carved keel arch frames the entrance. Since 1970 it has housed a museum on the history of Amboise.

Pierre Morin, treasurer of King Francis I, began building the mansion in 1500 to plans by Jacques Coqueau and Pierre Nepveu, who also worked on Chambord and Chenonceau. Morin died before completion, and his widow Françoise Provost finished it in 1505. From 1764 the Duke of Choiseul installed his court, chamber of accounts and a prison there, and the building was then called Palais ducal.

The mansion reveals how wealthy families lived during the Renaissance through its decorated rooms and furnishings. Visitors can observe how daily life and interior styles evolved across different periods.

The building stands at a street corner in Amboise's old town, a short walk from the Château d'Amboise. The museum occupies the ground floor and first floor, where the Leonardo da Vinci room and the wedding room with its seven Aubusson tapestries are found. The town council chamber on the first floor is still used for meetings, so it may be closed to visitors at times.

From 1848 to 1852, the building housed the garrison of Emir Abdelkader while he was imprisoned at the nearby Château d'Amboise. This episode unexpectedly links local history to a distant conflict in North Africa.