Château de Chambord

Château de Chambord, which dates back to the 16th century, is a unique pearl of architecture that became a symbol of the French Renaissance. It is located 120 km from Paris, at the bend of the river Cosson, about 6 km from the banks of the Loire, whose valley is famous for its castles and vineyards. Every year about a million tourists from all over the world come to Chambord to see this architectural masterpiece, to explore its spacious halls and chambers, which for centuries served as a temporary shelter for the crowned personages. The castle is surrounded by a magnificent closed forest park, the largest in Europe. Here, as many centuries ago, deer, roe deer, wild boars and birds feel at ease. The protected park, spread over 5463 hectares, is surrounded by a 32-kilometer wall, the longest in France.

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Video: Chambord Castle

Contents

Highlights

Château de Chambord, whose appearance embodies traditional French medieval forms and features of Italian Renaissance architecture, was built as a hunting lodge for King Francis I. However, despite its modest purpose, the building was destined to become the largest chateau in the Loire Valley. Modern visitors to the Chambord estate are invariably struck by its extravagant size. The length of the chateau facades is 156 meters, the width is 117 meters, and the height of the structure reaches 56 meters. The royal hunting lodge has 65 flights of stairs, 440 rooms, 282 fireplaces and 365 chimneys on the roof. The grandiosity of the building is emphasized by 800 sculpted columns.

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As in other royal country castles, Chambord’s halls and chambers were furnished and draped only during the visits of the monarchs, so now visitors will not be able to see authentic interiors. However, the chateau houses a significant collection of paintings, prints, tapestries, and furniture from other eras, totaling more than 4,500 pieces of art.

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French kings visited Chambord not only for hunting. Their stay here was accompanied by celebrations, balls, theatrical performances. Today, as before, in the castle constantly occur interesting events: concerts, shows, festivals, costume performances. Here are reproduced knights’ tournaments, pompous horse parades, in which a hundred horsemen of the Horse Guards of France take part. All these spectacles cause genuine delight among tourists.

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As for hunting, in the game-rich grounds of Chambord Castle, it is still organized, but only for guests of the President of France. However, it is very rare. At this time Chambord is closed to visitors.

History of Chambord Castle

Chambord Castle was begun in 1519 at the request of the French monarch Francis I, an adherent of Renaissance aesthetics and a passionate hunter. At that time, in the very center of the now drained marshy area of the Solonie, rich in game, was located the estate of the same name. It was a long-standing hereditary estate of the Counts of Blois, which became the property of the royal family in the 15th century. Construction work began with the demolition of the former count’s castle and the ancient church. The foundations of the new structure were laid on the vacated place, which was surrounded by four towers. Two years later, the construction of the palace was interrupted by the next phase of the Italian Wars, which ended with the defeat of the French and the capture of Francis. However, this did not diminish his fondness for the art of the cradle of the Renaissance. After his return to his homeland, he ordered to continue building the castle in the Renaissance style, personally participating in its design.

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The archives have not preserved the name of the chief architect of Chambord Castle, but it is now confirmed that the Italian architect Domenico da Cortona, nicknamed Boccador, and Leonardo da Vinci, who had lived in France since 1516 and was a close friend of Francis I, were involved in the project.

The king used Chambord as his castle’s main architect.

The king used Chambord as a hunting lodge where he would visit with close friends. This merry company was referred to by contemporaries as the king’s little gang. The monarch was attracted to these places and the fact that nearby lived his lady of the heart – Countess de Turi. The coat of arms of the royal beloved adorns one of the walls of the Chambord castle. However, Francis did not come to Chambord too often: in 30 years he spent here a total of no more than 72 days.

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By 1547, the last year of Francis I’s life, construction at Chambord had not yet been completed. His heir, Henry II, showed little interest in the castle, but work was still being done. In the following decades, the kings of France rarely visited Chambord. Only in the 30s of the XVII century the castle was revived thanks to Duke Gaston Orleansky, who received the county of Blois as an inheritance from Louis XIII. Under him, the abandoned building was restored, additional land was acquired, and a park was laid out on it. Then Chambord and reached its current size.

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By the end of the century, the “Sun King” Louis XIV had completed the major construction work at Chambord. The river Cosson, which winds through the park, was canalized, a magnificent garden was created on an artificial terrace, and stables were built in the courtyard of the chateau. The monarch, accompanied by his court, usually came to Chambord in the fall for hunting and entertainment. It was at Chambord in 1670 that Molière first presented his famous comedy, “A Burgher in the Nobility.”

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In 1725, the Château de Chambord sheltered King Stanislaus Leszczynski, Louis XV’s father-in-law, who had emigrated from Poland. The monarch then granted Chambord to the Marshal of France Maurice de Saxe. He lived in the castle like a sovereign: together with his court and regular regiments, devoting days to military maneuvers, hunting, entertainment. The marshal had time to arrange the park, luxurious decoration of the interiors of the castle.

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The French Revolution spared only the external appearance of Chambord. First, the inhabitants of neighboring villages ruined the lands of the estate. Then, by order of the revolutionary government, all of the chateau’s furnishings, wall paneling, and parquet were auctioned off, often accompanied by nighttime looting.

The chateau remained in a state of disrepair.

The chateau remained in a state of disrepair until Napoleon Bonaparte gave it to his marshal Louis-Alexandre Berthier. The next owner of Chambord was the young Duke of Bordeaux, Henri d’Artois. Finding himself in exile after the Revolution of 1830, he assumed the title of Count of Chambord, caring for his property remotely but efficiently. The owner entrusted his steward with the restoration of Chambord and the beautification of the park. At the same time, the chateau was officially opened to the public. After the death of Count Chambord in 1883, the estate was inherited by his nephews, the princes of Bourbon-Parma. In 1930, the state bought it from the owners for 11 million francs in gold.

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With the outbreak of World War II, Chambord became a sorting point for treasures brought here from France’s major museums. For a short time the Mona Lisa and Venus of Milos were even “guests” here. The chateau escaped Allied air attacks, but in June 1944 an American bomber crashed on its lawn, and in 1945 there was a fire. Large-scale modernization of the Chateau de Chambord began in 1947 and lasted almost 30 years. In 2016, after heavy rains, the river Causson overflowed its banks, breaching the castle wall and flooding the royal court, but the structure itself and its collections were not damaged.

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Architecture

The appearance of Chambord is obviously similar to medieval fortified castles, although it was not intended to repel enemy attacks. However, the “military” aspect of Chambord is emphasized allegorical, because the central square structure (donjon) with round towers at the corners, and two wings with additional towers, exquisite fences are made in true Renaissance style. The documents preserving the name of the architect who sketched the main features of this remarkable building disappeared in the XVIII century. However, modern researchers are increasingly convinced that the designs of Francis I were illuminated by the architectural and engineering ideas of Leonardo da Vinci.

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Leonardo died shortly before construction work began, but it was to his inspiration that the castle owes one of its attractions that fascinates visitors. It is a double spiral staircase with ramps looped over each other. The staircase, built in the very center of the central square volume of the castle, serves all 5 of its floors, leading up to the chimneys and the crowning terraces, where the views are spectacular. A lantern tower with heraldic lilies completes the cascades of steps. The concept of the staircase construction is a kind of intrigue: two people descending or ascending on different spirals of the staircase will never cross each other, but they will be able to see each other through the window openings. For centuries, guests of the castle amused themselves with such features of the amazing staircase, and today tourists indulge in similar games.

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Like Italian antiquities such as the Colosseum and 14th century Italian buildings, Chambord’s facades are superbly drawn and modular. The residential levels are visually separated by well-drawn frames or cornices running horizontally across the facade. And vertically, the rhythm is set by flattened columns or pilasters. Thanks to this technique, characteristic of Italian architecture, a kind of grid is formed, within the framework of which are laid various spectacular openings. Large windows contrast with the harsh mass of the walls, bringing festiveness and smartness to the appearance of the castle.

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In the decoration of the exterior and interiors of the Chambord castle, Italian traditions are adapted to the French style. Pilasters, medallions, candelabras, arabesque ornaments with elegant curls, although masterfully executed, but in a technique far from formalism. Particularly impressive is the skillful molding on the windows in the form of angels, executed in the smallest detail. It is amazing that in 500 years the fine molding has hardly suffered any damage.

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Collections

The sixteenth century left its mark only in the architecture of Chambord. Its interiors, furnishings belong to later eras, because the chateau was never furnished once and for all. Initially, the manor was intended for short-term residence, and there was no stationary furnishing. Collapsible furniture, as well as wall coverings, household items and table accessories had to be brought from Paris. When decorating the interiors, modern specialists have not been able to find a single significant example of royal furniture of the era of Francis I, even in museums dedicated to this period. So the chambers of the crowned initiator of the construction of the castle, located on the second floor of the royal wing, look rather ascetic. They include a bedroom, a dressing room, a reception hall and a study. A large full-length painting of the monarch and a coffered (with longitudinal and transverse beams) ceiling attract special attention here. The vaults are decorated with sculptural bas-reliefs that depict a mythical salamander and are marked with the letter F, the monogram of Francis I.

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In the right wing of the castle there is a museum of antique carriages. Here you can see, among other things, the pompous carriages of the Count of Chambord. Claiming the French throne, he ordered luxurious carriages from the famous carriage maker Binder for a solemn entry into the capital, which never took place. Unclaimed royal regalia and a throne brought from the Count’s Austrian castle are displayed in his chambers. There is also a collection of exact copies of children’s war toys of the noble champion of the monarchy, and sculptural representations of him as a child.

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The whole third floor of the castle donjon is occupied by an exposition devoted to hunting and local nature. It displays a collection of weapons, works by animal artists, tapestries with scenes of hunting fun.

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Many rooms are carefully recreated interiors of the XVIII century, when the coziness was provided by low ceilings, upholstered with picturesquely hanging cloth, elegant parquet floors, wood paneled walls. Vast halls were divided by wooden partitions, turning small spaces into bedrooms, boudoirs, studies, and bathrooms. Art history specialists shaping interiors purchased or rented sets of furniture and decorative objects appropriate to the era from French museums, the royal château at Blois.

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Chambord houses one of the most valuable collections of tapestries in France. For half a century the state has been purchasing 17th century tapestries to display in French castles, and in the spacious Chambord these grandiose canvases look particularly winning.

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Entertainment at Chambord Castle

Since 2010, the Chambord estate has embodied a large-scale program reflecting the main trends in Renaissance culture: literary, musical, fine arts, theater, dance. The main events are held in summer. Thus, in June-July the famous Chambord Festival opens here. During 12 magical evenings in the courtyard, chapel or gardens performers of chamber and symphonic music. On these days, atmospheric music cafes are open on the castle grounds.

Contemporary French artists exhibit their works in Chambord. From April to September you can see paintings by Jamel Tata, who is already world famous.

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Visitors are delighted by the laser show “Chambord – Dreams and Lights”, accompanied by audio effects. The play on the creation of the chateau, which is played out by spotlights on its walls, takes place on summer nights and lasts 50 minutes. A ticket for this performance costs 13 €. It is possible to buy a combined ticket (entrance to the castle + show), for which you will have to pay 18 €.

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From May to September, horse shows in the style of jousting tournaments are organized at the stables. These are preceded by a horse walk designed to attract as many spectators as possible. The show lasts 45 minutes. An individual ticket for the show costs 12.5 €; a combined ticket including entrance to the castle costs 21 €.

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The estate organizes guided tours of the park. Guests of Chateau Chambord travel on horseback, on foot, or on bicycles. For 20 €, the natural attractions of the park can be viewed from an off-road vehicle. This guided tour lasts an hour and a half.

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From September to October, Chambord offers to watch the love games of noble deer. It costs 35 € to get into the “Rut” and lasts for 3 hours.

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Practical information

Chateau Chambord welcomes visitors all year round, its doors are only closed on January 1, November 30, December 25. From 26.10 to 27.03 visits are available from 09:00 to 17:00, from 28.03 to 25.10 the castle is open until 18:00.

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The entrance ticket costs 14,5 €. Audio and video guides in Russian are available for €5 and €6 respectively.

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You can leave your car in the parking lot for 6 € per day.

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In Chambord, there is a boat station on the river Cosson. To admire the views of the castle from the river, you will have to pay between 12 and 30 € per hour, depending on the class of boat.

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There are souvenir stores on the castle grounds, where you can buy lavishly illustrated literature, DVDs and CDs to remember Chambord. In addition, there are stylized interior and serving items, jewelry, textiles, perfumes, crafts made of leather, wood, deer antlers and even impressive barrels of French oak.

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Delicious cheeses and pâtés and homemade wine are sold at the farmers’ market, which operates next to the chateau. For a hearty meal, there are restaurants, pizzerias or pancake houses in the town of Chambord.

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A 4-minute walk from the castle is the Relais de Chambord, a four-star hotel with a garden. You can stay here from €144 per night. You can also stay in cottages belonging to the chateau itself.

How to get there

From Paris to Chambord is convenient to get to Chambord by TGV train, it will take you from the platform of the railway station Austerlitz to Blois. The cost of a ticket in the first class carriage – from 35 €, second class – from 23 €. There is another, not so convenient and more expensive option: at the station Montparnasse buy a ticket for the train going to the station of St. Pierre-de-Coeur (suburb of Tours), and change there to the local train TER, going to Blois.

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There are cabs from the train station in Blois to Chambord. The trip will cost 35 €. For 6 € you can get to the castle on a special bus that runs on a circular route Blois – Chambord – Chaverny – Blois (return ticket is not necessary, the driver shows the already purchased one). This transportation is only available from April to early September. The bus runs on a schedule coordinated with the arrival time of trains from Paris. For example, if the train arrives at 08:59, the bus leaves at 09:10. The trip to Chambord takes about 40 minutes.

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All year round, you can get from the train station in Blois to Chambord Chateau by shuttle bus #2. A one-way ticket costs €2.5.