Historical French Chateaux
From LoveToKnow French
Visiting the most historical French châteaux is not only a journey back in time, but also a visual feast. From the immaculately landscaped grounds of the châteaux, to the beautifully decorated interiors, the French châteaux are an enchanting aspect of France and French culture.
A Few Historical French Châteaux
Some of the most famous French châteaux are also some of the ones that have the most interesting history. For example, many people don't know that what the châteaux were primarily used for was a kind of 'second home' for the kings of France. When visiting the castles, or looking at pictures of their interior and exterior attributes, one often gets the impression that the castles are the most stately and luxurious residences ever built. However, the French kings and their families and attendants actually spent a small proportion of their time in the luxurious châteaux.
Château de Chambord
The château at Chambord is a good example of one of the castles that were built into luxurious palaces, but were only enjoyed by the person who had them built for a short time. In grand total, it is thought that François I spent about seven weeks at the château in Chambord. If you think of the amount of rooms in the castle (440) and the number of staircases leading through the labyrinthine castle (84), as well as the number of people who frequently traveled with François I (thought to be about 2,000), the idea of spending only seven weeks in such a beautiful place is shocking.
The castle is surround by a 13,000 acre forest, which is walled in, allowing for the hunting grounds of the king to become, nowadays, a national forest. Visiting the grounds of this castle, it is easy to imagine that the kings of France used such a place a hunting retreat; what is unimaginable is the size and the splendor of the building itself.
The castle is famous as an example of the French Renaissance style and is highly reminiscent of the classical Italian architecture. Many features of the castle are world-renowned, but perhaps the most famous is the double-helix staircase (shown at right) which is though to perhaps have been designed by Leonardo da Vinci. Da Vinci lived in Amboise, where one of François I's royal residences was, which makes it plausible that the famous staircase was his design; however, historians do not agree on this point. The idea of the helix staircase is that two people can ascend or descend the staircase at the same time and never catch a glimpse of each other…likewise if one person ascends and the other person descends the stairs.
Château de Cheverny
This French castle is one of the few that actually have descendants of the original owners living in it. Of course, the part of the château where the family lives is not open to visitors, but still it gives another impression as you walk around the grounds, knowing that a family still lives on the premises.
Another unique feature of this castle is that there is still a pack of hunting dogs who live and 'work' on the castle grounds. As you tour the grounds of the castle, you can take a peek into the area where the dogs live, or, if you time your visit to the premises right, you can watch the dogs being fed every afternoon. Especially if you are traveling with children, this particular feature of Cheverny can be an especially popular one.
This castle has two other famous features: the interior/furniture, and the park grounds. Cheverny is celebrated as the castle with the most magnificent furniture in the Loire Valley. The interior decoration is credited to both the daughter (Elisabeth) of the original owners (Henri Hurault and Marguerite Gaillard), as well as to the professional designer Jean Monier who was sent to Italy by Marie de Médicis to learn the art of interior design. Upon returning from Italy, he worked to make not only Cheverny, but also the Palais de Luxemborg (Paris) into the enchanting castles that they remain today.
French Châteaux in the Loire Valley
In addition to the two châteaux discussed above, there are several more beautiful castles to visit in France. The most popular of these:
The castles of France make for beautiful vacation destinations, both for a couple on their honeymoon or for a family vacation abroad. Not only can the regions, castle interiors and grounds be enjoyed, but there's also a healthy dose of history still living in and around the French châteaux.
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