If there is one French château from the Loire Valley, which is famous around the World, it is the Château de Chambord. On its own, such a Royal residence feels the dreams of children and adult alike. Let’s explore a bit its history and architecture!
Note: Below you will find affiliated links of books about the Château de Chambord and of hotels you might want to stay at to make the most of your visit.
The Château de Chambord is considered a masterpiece of French Renaissance architecture. But like many castles and châteaux, it has a tumultuous history. Let’s dive in!
The history of the Château de Chambord
In 1515, young King Francis I came back victorious from the Battle of Marignan. What did kings do, at the time, to celebrate victories? They built castles! I’m pretty sure they also organized feasts and drank a whole lot, but castles were monumental symbols of their power and so Francis I decided to build Chambord.
Maybe King Francis I wanted to build more than a château
In 1516, Leonardo da Vinci arrived in France and stayed at the Clos Lucé, near the Château d’Amboise where Francis I resided. He had been invited by the King as “first painter, architect and engineer of the King”.
During his years in France, Leonardo worked on the plans of an ideal city to be established in Romorantin, a little city located 40km away from Chambord. Plans and studies of such ideal city were found and such city was to include a new Royal palace for the King. The project was ambitious and Leonardo was old. No-one could have supervised the works to be done, to achieve his vision so when Leonardo dies in 1519, the project was abandoned.
Francis I never built Leonardo’s ideal city and maybe instead decided to build the Chateau de Chambord. This is still debatable but I thought it was worth mentioning.
The initial construction phase: 1519 – 1547
The initial construction phase of Chambord lasted from 1519 to Francis I death in 1547. I must point out that this is only 28 years! It is quite fascinating to me that something like Chambord could have been built, in such a short period of time. It wasn’t entirely finished. The chapel for example was not completed and plans were modified along the way. It is still very impressive.
In addition, works were suspended between 1524 and 1526, during the King’s war campaign in Italy. So it’s 28 years, but more like 26.
In 1539, the keep of the château was finished and Francis I started entertaining there. His most notorious guest was Emperor Charles V.
The keep is the central part of the château. A square with 4 corner towers which design is reminiscent of the traditional medieval castle but which architecture is anything but French Renaissance splendor.
At this point, it worth noting that, to this day, no one knows for sure who the architect was. Leonardo da Vinci influence is unquestioned for elements like the central staircase and the latrine system (yep!) but apart from that, there are still mysteries.
Despite its beauty, Chambord was impossible to live in. Its massive rooms were impossible to heat and this lead, amongst other things, to an uncertain future.
A Royal residence in desperate need of care
Henri II, son of Francis I, continued his father’s work until 1556 but the château was after that mostly left abandoned for more than 80 years. Unsurprisingly, Chambord felt into decay.
Louis XIII gave it to his brother, Gaston d’Orleans who carried out extensive restoration work from 1626 to 1660. Gaston had a tendency to plot against his brother so he wasn’t allowed to live the château after 1634. That might have helped his motivation to make it livable and grant.
In 1659, Louis XIV first visited Chambord. He wasn’t king yet at time but he was, when he came back in 1669 and enjoyed Molière’s play there. Wherever the King went, he had to have his Royal apartments and his ceremonial chamber. Louis XIV therefore had the keep restored and the Royal apartments furnished. Like Francis I, he used Chambord as a hunting lodge and a place to entertain. Despite his love for Chambord, and despite the works going on around the château, Louis XIV left his place to Louis XV father in law, Stanislas I, the Polish deposed King.In 1745, Louis XV gave Chambord to Maurice de Saxe, Marshal of France, for life. What? You’ve never been given a château? OK, me either! unfortunately… Maurice de Saxe was even allowed by the King to install his military regiment there. He died 5 years later and the Château was left abandoned… again. Maurice de Saxe died in 1750 and once more the colossal château stayed empty for years.
Fast forward to the French revolution in 1789, and imagine Chambord being stripped off, of everything. Its furniture being auctioned, its timber, wall paneling and floors being sold, its doors being burned… not a pretty sight.
Abandoned, empty again and left in despair, Chambord was living through its darkest years.
A few attempt of restoration were started in the 19th century, especially when owned by the Compte of Chambord who opened it to the public for the first time in history. But at last, History had different plans for Chambord.
A new life ahead
Chambord was bought by the French state in 1930 (after being confiscated in 1915) and restoration were started after WWII.
Today the Chateau de Chambord has a new life, with thousands of visitors coming to admire it every year. And after so many period of abandonment, one can only hope this new-found love will last for another 500 years, at least.
Various facts to know about the Château de Chambord
As mentioned above, the Château de Chambord was actually never completed. Most surprisingly maybe, king Francis I, who started its construction, only stayed there 72 days in his whole life.
In fact, during its 500 years of existence, the Château de Chambord was rarely inhabited. It did received prisoners during the French revolution but those were not exactly the type of guests it was intended for.
Chambord hosted the art collections of the Louvre and Compiègne museums during WWII. Such art collections were taken from Paris and hidden from the Nazis in Chambord. Interestingly, these included the Mona Lisa, which Leonardo da Vinci had brought to France when he came to the Clos Lucé in 1516. Centuries later, she was almost reunited with her master.
Chambord was used in various movies and the most beloved one is the French movie Peau d’Ane (a pop adaptation of the Donkeyskin, a fairy tale by Charles Perrault) with Catherine Deneuve and Jean Marais. The deer statues seen in Peau d’Ane’s bedroom, were part of the château’s collection. In addition, the filming crew left a forever mark, in one of the château’s doorway. They wrote in the stone a simple “Peau d’Ane was filmed here in 1970”. Something which you definitively should never do! But this is now part of the history of the château. I did not find such inscription, there are just too many doors! sorry.
Molière wrote Monsieur de Pourceaugnac and some of Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme at the château, Performance were held for Louis XIV.
Some numbers?
The domain of the Château de Chambord is almost as big as inner Paris. Today it is 5,440 ha and it is the biggest closed forest of Europe. A 32 km wall encircles the domain.
The Château de Chambord has 440 rooms, 77 staircases and 282 fireplaces. Numbers can vary slightly from one source to the other but those numbers are still very impressive!
At least 4,500 objets d’art are displayed in the château and approximately 60 rooms can be visited.
Inside the Château de Chambord
First thing first…
Revolutionary staircase
The double helix staircase is a so famous, you may have come to Chambord just to see it.
The Keep is a square with the staircase in the center of a Greek cross. It is magnificent and fun. If you are visiting with a friend, make sure one of you takes one side when the other takes the other side and 1,2, 3 go up! You can see each others without meeting! Everybody loves it!
Apart from being fun, it’s Leonardo da Vinci’s genius which is on display.
The above picture may make it look small but really, do look at the people. The ceiling is more than 6m heigh which was necessary to accommodate the double helix. Do keep this in mind during the rest of your visit.
The rest of the entrance is quite plain.
I can’t show you all the pictures I took of all the rooms because it would be too long! And some of my pictures aren’t that great. Some rooms are kept in fairly dark conditions to keep tapestries intact and that does not suit my camera.
Here are some…
The Royal’s apartments
Louis XIV ceremonial bedchamber as it was in the 18th century
the throne room late 19th century
Other Apartments
Above and below: the Prince de Conti apartment
The Laurel Room (as per tapestry and bed fabric!)
Above: chairs from Francis I oratory
Above: Cabinet de Wagram
Salamanders on the ceiling
At Chambord, the salamander, Francis I emblem, is represented more than 300 times on ceilings and walls.
2nd floor vaulted ceiling
Latrines!
Old visitors sign and ticket machine – 1 franc to enter!
The Roof Top
On a sunny day, if there is one thing amazing to do, it has to be to get on the roof top and admire the roof and the view!
The lantern tower. The central tower above the central staircase
Chambord in 3D
The Chateau de Chambord is probably one of the first château to have offered an augmented reality tour. Definitively super modern!
If you chose this option when visiting, you will be handed a Histopad, which is basically a tablet. Such tablet offers digitally reconstituted views of certain rooms of the château, as there were in the times of Francois I. You will also have access to various additional information about the château’s history, its architecture, its art collection and… also a treasure hunt which is not just for children!
Having been to Chambord several times, I chose this option on one my last visit. My thoughts? It was super interesting! I loved the reconstitution views and being able to compare those to what it looks today was absolutely fascinating.
If you chose to visit with the Histopad, do take your time. It provides so much information, you’ll get lost.
However, do not spend all your time looking at the screen because that’s a bit of the danger with such tool. You may forget what is actually really in front of your eyes.
If you are visiting just to take pictures. Do know it’s hard to have a camera in one hand and a Histopad in the other!
The French gardens and vineyards
Chambord is constantly changing. It’s quite fascinating. After 16 years of study, the French gardens laying in front of the château were recreated in 2017, as they were under the rule of Louis XIV.
And in 2018, to celebrate the 500 years of the château, vineyards were reestablished in Chambord. There were campaigns to adopt a vine stock which financed the project. You may still be able to adopt one and get your name plate in Chambord but I think the price is now very high.
The reason I wanted to end this piece about the Histopad, the gardens and vineyards is because those examples show how amazing the life of the Chateau is. Chambord is 500 years and still in constant change and movements.
Mysteries of the past are still to be solved, a lot can still be learned and yet there is still room for modernity. Chambord definitively has a place in the future. It’s a hive demonstrating man love & ingeniosity, a place not frozen in time but resolutely turned toward a bright future.
The technical bits
The official website for the Château de Chambord is www.chambord.org
There you will find all the information to plan your visit. A lot of organized tour from Paris include Chambord in them. But really, the château is so big, it’s a shame to not plan a whole day to visit. Prepare a picnic and enjoy the park!
As mentioned below, you can now even sleep in the Relais de Chambord. A hotel newly created in the former relais. Modern but charming and with the greatest possible view! If you are visiting Chambord in Autumn, you should totally stay there. The mating period for deers is quite a spectacle!
The Château and domain of Chambord used to be listed on its own on the UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is now part of the wider listing named “the Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes”. Yes, the whole region is a UNESCO World Heritage site! This may tell you how much it is worth a visit.
Some Books you might want to read to prepare your visit
These are affiliate links. If you purchase a book, I’ll get a small commission at no extra cost to you.
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Looking for a hotel?
There is now a hotel located just near the Château in a former relais. It is called the Relais de Chambord (obviously!) and you should check it out. You can’t get a better view!!
