The castle was great dream of knight-kings and beginning of the French Renaissance.
2023-08-06
When it comes to traveling in France, first thing many people think of is Paris, which embodies romance and avant-garde. In fact, The Loire Valley (Le val de Loire) in central France is a symbol of French serenity and classicism, where subtle and elegant French style flows everywhere. The French royal family took a liking to this treasure trove of geomantic omens and came here every summer to escape summer heat and turned castle, originally used for defense, into their own residence. There are hundreds of castles in valley from Orleans in east to Angers in west. In 2000, UNESCO added Loire Valley to World Cultural Heritage List. Among castles of all sizes, most important is Chateau de Chambord, which is considered a French national treasure and was inscribed on World Heritage List in 1981.
Chambord is largest castle in Loire Valley, deservedly called "King of Castles". Because of its majesty, majesty and masculinity, it is also known as "Male Fort".
When it comes to Chambord, one cannot fail to mention François I (François I, 1494–1547), known in French history as “King of Knights”. In 1515, François I ascended throne and then conquered Duchy of Milan (now Milan, Italy and its environs), which his two predecessors, Charles VIII and Louis XII, had failed to conquer. The young king not only brought back direction of Renaissance from Italy to France, but also brought back Renaissance master, Da Vinci. The friendship between them turned into a good story: da Vinci spent last and happiest three years of his life in Loire Valley, and after his death was buried in castle of Amboise.
To celebrate and showcase conquest of Milan, ambitious and hunting-obsessed Francis I ordered construction of Chambord Castle in 1519 to serve as his hunting palace. But strange thing is that it is impossible to know who is author of such a magnificent castle seen today! Legend has it that building was inspired by da Vinci and only documented design is that of Francis Pombrian. In 1521, war between France and Italy resumed, and construction of castle was forced to stop, and it resumed five years later. But until death of Francis I in 1547, only main building of tower and one wing were built in castle, and king lived in castle for only 72 days.
His successor, Henry II, inherited last will of king and continued construction of castle, but Henry II only liked his mistress Diana, and unfinished castle fell into disrepair and overgrown with weeds. Only in 1626, King Louis XIII awarded him, along with title of Duke of Orleans, to his ambitious younger brother Gaston of Orleans and continued construction. After death of Caston, castle passed into hands of Louis XIV of Bourbon dynasty, and construction of castle was completed. Yes, this is Louis XIV, who never bathed all his life and was full of stench. It was on second floor of this castle that famous dramatic master Moliere and his troupe performed premiere of "In Love" and since then have been guest of Louis XIV.
Small theater in castle
After that, he changed hands several times. During French Revolution, castle was badly damaged. Furniture and exquisite sculptures were destroyed or removed. Only in 1930 French government bought castle from descendants. Count of Chambord, renovated later. Since it served as a hunting ground, horse performances are often held in castle today.
Each castle in Loire Valley has its strengths and weaknesses, and also hides story of rise and fall of one or more families, and Chambord is no exception. It is called "The Magnificent Dream of Francis I", which is a perfect combination of heritage of French medieval architecture and innovative architecture of Italian Renaissance. Its construction marks beginning of French Renaissance.
Today castle is 156 meters long and 56 meters high. It has 282 towers, chimneys, 426 rooms and 77 staircases. The entire body is made of limestone. Although this material is used in most castles in Loire Valley, its use in Chambord is completely natural. The forest area around castle covers an area of 5440 hectares, which is largest closed forest park in Europe. What is a concept? This is equivalent to area of the entire city of Paris! Among outstanding architectural works worldwide, Chambord Castle's status and influence can almost be compared to that of "Mona Lisa" in art world, and it has further influenced many architectural and decorative elements in Europe, such as Schweiz Lin in Germany. palace (Schwerin Palace), main building of Fitz College in Edinburgh, etc.
Overview of Château de Chambord in an introduction to a picturesque site
In fact,It was Francis I who brought Italian Renaissance to France and pushed it forward, and is considered father of French Renaissance. The king is a supporter and protector of artists, who dares to say no? He encouraged all artists to come to France to live and create. This period was happiest time for artists, and French cultural endeavors flourished. François I hired a group of people in Italy to buy for him works of Italian Renaissance masters and transport them back to France. Many of collections of French royal family that can be seen today in Louvre date from this period.
So, in parking lot of Chambord you can see a copy of this famous portrait of Francis I. The original is now in Louvre, and it was painted by French writer Jean Cruet in 1535.
To visit Chambord, you usually live in city of Tours 80 km away and drive there on your own. Actually, I would recommend living in town of Blois, which is less than 20 kilometers from castle and has plenty of time to visit.
Chambord is area where most of French aristocracy lives. Forests are everywhere, and bright sun produces rich ingredients and fine wines. Markets often operate near castle, where they mainly sell homemade products and spices grown by local residents.
The majestic atmosphere is my first impression of Chambord. Although not built in mountains like Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany, it is magnificent and solemn without being cumbersome, and decoration is exquisite without being trivial.
The back of castle is surrounded by Chambord, which often appears in various landscape photographs. From this angle, Chambord looks like a luxury cruise ship floating on water, while left and right towers are royal wing and prayer hall wing, respectively.
There is no fixed route to visit Chambord, there are more than 400 rooms, you can go anywhere. The main tower is tallest tower in whole castle, and its top is decorated with a huge stone lily flower - symbol of Francis I.
Entering main castle through main entrance, you will find yourself in front of famous "double helix staircase". Although designer of entire castle is unknown, this staircase was actually designed by Leonardo da Vinci, and later generations also found his drawings. Two spiral staircases with different entrances surround same hollow stone column, weaving and weaving through three floors of castle, supporting a lily pad at top of tower. This design is such that when queen and Francis I's lover walk down stairs, they can only see each other through windows in inner core, but they will never meet each other, which is very good at avoiding embarrassing situations, definitely "Not romantic, not French Ah!
The carved decoration of staircase is one of masterpieces of the French Renaissance.
The floor plan of Chambord shows that four corridors run from each floor around stairs, forming a cross. These halls are divided into four identical living areas, which was most innovative design in France at time.
In "royal wing" on first floor there is a "four-wheeled carriage" from Parisian head office of famous Hermès store.
The second floor allows visitors to learn about different conditions of life in castle from 16th to 19th centuries, observing evolution of interior layout styles of each era. The first thing I saw was main hall. In 1680, in order to comply with rules of etiquette during reign of Louis XIV, two apartments along north side of castle were merged into one, and north corridor was closed. The guard room, first and second waiting rooms, main hall and private front room are located in same order as rooms in Palace of Versailles. The decoration of military ceremonial hall visible today was completed by Marshal Saxony in 18th century, and the furnishings and decorations have largely returned to their original appearance.
On west side of second floor is wing of prayer hall. The prayer hall was begun at same time as residence of Francis I. It was not until reign of Louis XIV that architect of Palace of VersaillesJules Hardouin Mansat, completed by Jules Hardouin Mansart. The prayer hall is huge and is largest room in castle.
The King's Wing, on north side of second floor, is residence of Francis I. The King originally lived in main tower, but later moved to East Wing, which can be reached via a corridor and a spiral staircase outside building. The east wing consists of a bedroom, two smaller rooms, a chapel and a council chamber with an original area of 270 square meters, which at beginning of 17th century was converted into a small church by Louis XIII's brother Caston d'Orléans. . However, king's residence looks rather dilapidated, and there are rumors that he lives on side to secretly meet with his beloved...
The tower adjoining royal residence is queen's room, where two wives of Louis XIV, Marie-Therese of Austria and later Madame Maintenon, lived. Like residence of king, queen's quarters included a guardroom, two hallways, a bedroom and separate apartments. One of hallways was converted into a restaurant by Duchess of Berry in 19th century.
The 18th century was period when Chambord was most popular with nobility, although it was only "popular" for 12 years. The father-in-law of Louis XIV, Duke of Lorraine Stanisław Leszczynski and a close friend of Marshal of Saxony once lived here, and later members of Chambord royal family also moved here. However, you should know that temperature in stone castle is not favorable in winter. In order to achieve goal of heating, people reduced area of the hall, divided it into small rooms, made several niches and lowered ceiling. Among large chimneys built in 16th century were more appropriately sized chimneys, and a large heating stove was built in middle of house.
Chambord witnessed a special period in France: Count of Chambord, grandson of Charles X, was owner of castle from 1821, and later Henri V of France, 1820-1883) inherited title, but lived here only 3 days before his death. He became leader of orthodox faction of royalist party after Great Revolution, last king of Bourbon dynasty, who took throne in 1871 after defeat of France by Prussia, and last owner of Bourbon family in Chambord. Henry IV, founding monarch of Bourbon dynasty, tried his best to defend Catholicism, but his descendants were "shaft" strong. Henry V categorically stated that as long as French flag remained tricolor, he was determined not to be king. He insisted on restoring white fleur-de-lis or else he would not accept throne, and even a compromise proposal by Pope Pius IX to include both tricolor and fleur-de-lis on flag was rejected. Dad sighed "just for such a rag"! There is no use in fighting against Pope, Henry V was exiled and French Third Republic was born. Among collections on display at Earl's Museum are Earl's military toys, cutlery and silverware, an ornate bed, and a series of prints and portraits that once belonged to his mother, Duchess of Ballie.
The initials "F", symbolizing Francis I, and salamander logo can be seen throughout castle. The salamander is an animal that can live in flames in French mythology, which explains king's motto "ignite and extinguish", which means to kindle a good fire, extinguish a bad fire and eradicate evil by sowing good.
Chambord would not exist without hunting enthusiasm of Francis I. The third floor of castle is decorated on this theme. The embankment has tapestries and sculptures of deer heads dedicated to hunting, which is why it is called "Hunting Alley".
Rising to top of castle, towers in Gothic style rise. The castle has a wide and unique terrace at top of tower, where you can enjoy coexistence of Gothic and Italian Renaissance, as well as magnificent panorama that opens onto territory of Chambord.
Spiers and chimneys form a dreamlike world that blends perfectly with surrounding forests, parks and lakes, giving people a wonderful visual enjoyment. It is certainly perfect combination of imperial power and art.
Chambord is masterpiece of Francis I. It epitomizes his perseverance in dreams and love of art, and also unites efforts of many generations of emperors, artists and architects. It is also like a history book that records legendary histories of royal families and nobles of past dynasties. The unique architectural style, inimitable design and traces of many famous artists attract many tourists. Walking around city, you seem to be returning to past, and you can really feel court life during prosperity of France hundreds of years ago.
Traffic: From April to September you can take buses 2 and 3 from Blois. There are 4 buses every day and only one on Sundays.
Opening hours: from January 2 to March 31 and from October 1 to December 31 from 9:00 to 17:00, from April 1 to September 30 from 9:00 to 18:00. Closed every first Sunday in February and 25 December.
Tickets: 11 euros for adults
Recommended play time: around 2 hours to visit inside of castle, and no time limit to visit gardens, forests, etc.
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[Author: Desert Rose]
Travel experts from around world, travel experts, freelance writers and guest hosts. Alone, he has traveled to almost 50 countries and more than 200 cities on five continents.