Placed in the list of Historic Monuments in France, the Château de Chambord is one of the most amazing constructions of the Renaissance.
One of the most famous castles in the world
Far from being a residential palace or even a hunting lodge, the Château de Chambord embodies a real utopia: that of a brilliant work of art that has not finished revealing all its secrets. The Château de Chambord is one of the most famous French castles in the world. This magnificent monument is bordered by the Cosson river and is located 14 km east of Blois, in the heart of the Loire Valley. Built in the 16th century in the largest enclosed forest park in Europe, it is the largest castle in the Loire. Its estate extends over nearly 5500 ha, 1000 of which are open to the public! Chambord Castle in the Middle Ages In the 10th century, the Château de Chambord was a fortified castle built to accommodate the Counts of Blois.
A huge hunting residence
Three centuries later, it was attached to the house of Châtillon before coming under the protection of the Dukes of Orléans in 1397. King of France from 1515, François I wanted to create a capital city in Romorantin and a castle in Chambord. In 1516, he convinced his friend Leonardo da Vinci to leave Italy for France. This led to a huge construction site in 1519 on the site of Chambord to create a huge hunting residence on the site of the old fortified castle. This pharaonic site will later be stopped for a year due to the imprisonment of François I in Madrid. This interruption will lead to the simplification of the plans of the castle.
Louis XIV, Molière and Lully
After only spending 72 nights in Chambord, King François I died in 1547, before the end of the works, which were partly completed during the reigns of Henry II and Charles IX. The monarchs gradually abandoned the Château de Chambord, which was too isolated. It was not until the beginning of the 17th century and the reign of Louis XIII to see a king sleeping again in Chambord. King Louis XIII gave the fortress to Gaston d’Orléans, his younger brother, who undertook a restoration between 1639 and 1642. Later, Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King, made 9 stays there between 1650 and 1685, accompanied by Molière or Jean-Baptiste Lully. During the reign of Louis XV, Chambord was occupied by the King’s father-in-law, Stanislas Leszczynski, King of Poland in exile, before being given to Marshal Maurice de Saxe, who had barracks built there.
