Issoudun has preserved several monuments testifying to its rich past as a fortified town in the Middle Ages, a royal town from 1240 and for years an important fair and market town.
The emblematic White Tower (Tour Blanche), built in the 12th century at the request of Richard the Lionheart, watches majestically over Issoudun's rooftops 27 metres above the town. Boasting a beautiful view of the town and its surroundings, this medieval keep today houses an exhibition about its history and associated legendary figures.
Among Issoudun's other attractions are a 12th-century belfry, the Gothic Saint-Cyr church with a stunning 15th-century stained-glass window, a rampart walk, the town hall gardens at the foot of the White Tower and the pleasant François Mitterrand park situated on either side of the Théols river.
Also worth a visit is the old hospital (Hôtel-Dieu), home to the Saint-Roch Hospice museum which contains a stunning, carved tree of Jesse, archaeological, sculpture and non-European art collections and a 17th-century apothecary, and puts on exhibitions of contemporary art.
