Chateau de Chambord, jewel of the Loire Valley, France. B&W interior view of the famous and spectacular double-helix open staircase. Note the fabulous ceiling.

The influence of a Master At the heart of a game-filled forest, the Château of Chambord in the Loire www.loiretourisme.com/en/home is highly symbolic of French Renaissance and looms up from the Sologne swamp land. Chambord was born from the dream of King François I who brought back from his battles in Italy numerous artists, including Leonardo da Vinci. The architect of Chambord remains unknown, but this masterpiece seems to have been inspired by the sketches of da Vinci himself (particularly the famous double staircase). A marvel from the Renaissance The Château of Chambord marked the beginning of the French Renaissance, a clever combination of Italian principles and French traditions. Chambord is a château with perfect proportions, radiating a feeling of majesty and harmony from its decorations and size. Take Leonardo’s Staircase to reach the upper levels. Once at the top of the keep, admire the rich fantasy from the roof spiked with many turrets, chimneys, vertiginous skylights, and the breath-taking view over a domain as vast as Paris. Chambord was not designed to be a permanent residence, merely a hunting lodge. François I enjoyed retiring here to indulge in his love for hunting, which at that time was reserved for nobility. He spent very little time at the château, leaving it void of furniture and inhabitants after each visit. As a result, it remained unfinished… Over the centuries, other historical figures and kings of France stayed here and continued making embellishments on the château - among them was the famous ‘Sun King,’ Louis XIV.
1498 Crowning of Louis XII, the Chambord estate becomes Crown property. 1519 Beginning of construction work on the château as wished by François I. 1535 End of construction work on the keep and beginning of construction work on the lower wings. 1539 François I is visited by Charles Quint at Chambord 1547 Death of François I. Continuation of construction work under Henri II who hunts here regularly, and the signing of the 3-bishopric treaty. 1641 – 1660 Louis XIII grants Chambord to his brother Gaston of Orleans who often stays here. 1660 – 1685 Louis XIV stays at Chambord nine times, one hundred days in all. His last stay is from the 6th of September to the 28th of October 1685. Molière creates and stages the first performance of the 'bourgeois gentilhomme' and 'monsieur de Pourceaugnac' at the château. 1680 – 1685 Construction work by architects J. Hardouin Mansart and d’Obray to finish the château. 1725 – 1733 Stanislas Leszczynski, King of Poland and also Louis XV’s father-in-law, stays at Chambord in exile .1809 Napoleon offers the domain to Marshal Berthier. It becomes annexed to the principality of Wagram. Berthier only comes for two days and then dies in 1815. 1819 Marshal Berthier’s widow obtains authorisation from Louis XVIII to sell the domain. 1821 Chambord is offered to the Duke of Bordeaux, King Charles X’s grandson and future Count of Chambord, by public subscription. 1840 Registered on the first list of historical monuments by Prosper Mérimée. 1871 On 5th July, the Count of Chambord decides to publish his manifesto by which he refuses to become Henri V, faithful to the white flag affair. 1883 Death of the Count of Chambord. The domain is passed on to his nephews from the Bourbon Parma family. 1914 On the 14th of September, it is confiscated by the State. 1930 Acquisition by the State and administration by the department of domains. 1947 The State entrusts the administration of Chambord to different bodies (finance, architecture, water and forest, roads) – the game park is registered as a classed site. 1970 On 8th December, President Pompidou names a commissioner for the development of the national Domain of Chambord, responsible for the development and management of the Domain of Chambord. 1981 Registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site. 1997 whole of the domain becomes classed according to the Law of 1913 on historical monuments. 2005 The law of February 23, 2005 relating to the decentralisation of rural territories, hands over the management of the National Domain of Chambord to a public institution with commercial and industrial aims (EPIC). loire-chateaux.co.uk/en-gb/chateaux/chambord/national-dom... www.chambord.org/en/

Taken on: July 13, 2015

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Francois I « less

Camera: Canon EOS 7D, f/5.0, 1/250 sec, 10mm, ISO 3200 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 7D
Lens:	10-20mm
Aperture:	f/5.0
Exposure Time:	0.004 sec (1/250)
Focal Length:	10mm
ISO:	3200
Exposure Bias:	-1 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CC (Macintosh)
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