Weekend Edition "Journey"! 10 must-see castles in France
2023-07-29
According to statistics, there are more than 10,000 castles, large and small, in France, which were built either as defensive fortresses or as luxurious palaces for emperors and nobles. The construction of castle often goes through several generations of planning and renovation, which vividly embodies essence of French architecture and testifies to vicissitudes of French history.
Château de Versailles, Yvelines
Located 20 km west of Paris, Palace of Versailles was built by Louis XIV and is known for its luxurious and imaginative architecture. The total length of complex is 580 meters, including Royal Palace, castle, gardens, Trianon Palace, etc. The Palace of Versailles is a classical style building. The facade is processed in a standard three-stage classical style, that is, facade is divided into vertical and horizontal sections. The building is symmetrical from left to right, with neat outlines, solemn and majestic, and is known as a representative of reasonable beauty. Its interior decoration is mainly in Baroque style, with several halls in the Rococo style.
Chantilly Castle, Oise
The Château de Chantilly consists of a large castle and a small castle. The first building on site of a large castle was built in 1528-1531 by Montmorency family. It was destroyed during French Revolution. The castle that we see now was built by Duke of Omale, son of King Louis Philippe, rebuilt in 1870. The small castle was built around 1560 for Anne de Montmorency, who was head of French royal family, French marshal, diplomat and knight and worked for six French kings.
Château de Fontainebleau, Seine-et-Marne
In 1137, King Louis VI of France ordered construction of a castle here, which was subsequently rebuilt, expanded, decorated and renovated by successive kings, turning Fontainebleau Palace into a magnificent palace. Around 1530, François I wanted to create a "New Rome", so he decided to expand park into a large palace. The interior decoration was supervised by two Italian masters, Rosso and Primatigio, as well as French artists. , Caron, and sculptor Gu Rong contributed to design. French emperors such as Henry II, Henry IV, Louis XIV, Louis XV, Louis XVI and Napoleon lived here.
Castle of Castelnau, Dordogne
The Château de Castelnau is located in Black Perigord region of New-Aquitaine in southwestern France. The capital of region is Bordeaux, which is famous for its fine wine. The origin of delicacies such as truffles, there are many prehistoric relics and frescoes, medieval castles and ancient cities in forests and mountains. In 1966, castle was listed as a National Historic Monument of France. After many years of restoration work, this defensive castle, built in 13th century, has become a military museum with a collection of medieval weapons and armor.
Château de Chambord, Loir-et-Cher
It was built by Francis I in 1519 and completed during reign of Louis XIV. This is most majestic and largest of all castles in Loire Valley, with a history of more than 500 years in 21st century. The locals often call it and women's castle of Chenonceau queen of French castles. Chambord Castle was built in an area where life of French aristocrats is strongest. Forests are everywhere, rich in wood and wine. The kings and nobles of France, one after another, built hunting palaces here for recreation and even moved here from time to time.
The Château de Chenonceau, Indre-et-Loire
The Château de Chenonceau, also known as Château des Ladies, is located in Loire Valley in Indre-Loire region of France. It was built on Cher River, a tributary of Loire River. It was first seen in historical records of 11th century. Its left and right wings span banks of Char River, a tributary of Loire River, and are connected by a covered bridge with five openings in middle. Therefore, it is also called "a boat moored on Char River". Chenonceau Castle is a mixture of Gothic and early Renaissance architecture.
Château de Usse, Danse L'Indre and Loire
Château Ussey, standing on edge of Chinon Forest on left bank of André River in France, was built in 1462 on basis of an old castle-fortress of 11th century. a medieval castle and splendid and romantic Renaissance buildings This was once residence of some prominent French aristocrats in France. He is known for being inspiration for Sleeping Beauty story. Inspired by beautiful scenery of castle, 17th-century writer Charles Perrault wrote popular fairy tale "The Sleeping Beauty", and later generations called this beautiful castle "City of Dreams".
Castle of Dukes of Brittany, Loire-Atlantique
The Château of Duke of Brittany is a large French-style castle located in Nantes, a city in Atlantic region of Loire in France. It was built by Francis II and his daughter, Anne of Brittany, Queen of France, in 13th-16th centuries. Later, with Anne, Marriage between Brittany and King of France made this castle an important palace for Queen of France.
Château de Saumur, Maine-et-Loire
Château de Saumur is a medieval French castle in Saumur, France. The castle was first built in 10th century and was used several times as a fortification, holiday villa, residence of highest royal officials in Saumur, a prison and a warehouse for storing weapons and ammunition. In 1906, municipality of Saumur acquired castle from state, after partial restoration, castle now houses municipal museum.
Château de Amboise, Danse L'Indre and Loire
Amboise Castle (château d'Amboise) is one of most prestigious castles built for French kings in Loire Valley during Renaissance (fifteenth-sixteenth centuries) by Franco Sova I. The young king, passionate about art, was impressed by brilliant art of Italian Renaissance when he led his troops to Italy in 1515, so he invited many prominent artists of time to decorate palace. Da Vinci also accompanied king to castle. last three years of his life. It retains architectural style of Renaissance and contains a large collection of gothic, renaissance and empire style furniture.
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