Chateau d'Chambord

Well I must admit it was warmer when we visited Chambord this time, compared to April, 2010.   So that was a plus, for sure.

And I noticed that Francois I’s name cropped up again at this chateau.   That man certainly had money to spend!   Francois I had Chambord built, so he could use it as a hunting lodge.    However, he only used it for a few days, and never saw the project completed before he died in 1547.    But the design of Chambord was influenced by his experiences in Italy, when he tried to recapture Milan. So the architecture of the chateau is definitely Renaissance.    It is rumoured that Leonardi da Vinci had a hand in the design, and certainly the double spiral staircase reflects his imaginative thinking.

The keep is square with four towers on each corner.   The internal layout is in the shape of a Greek cross.    Each corner of the keep is large enough to house a family.     However, a wing was added to house the Royal family, should they ever visit.    Another wing housed the chapel.  The keep itself was bitterly cold in the winter, therefore people did not wish to reside there.  I might add that it is still bitterly cold inside this chateau.  

 I took a photograph of Walter through the gap in the wall, on the double spiral staircase, although we never ran into each other..

Looking upwards, with gaps in the wall,  three floors in all.

 A view of the Royal wing.   Or come to think of it, it could be the chapel wing.   Confusion here.

 The decorative carving on the vaulted ceilings of the second-floor hallways, which combines Francis I’s monogram with his emblem, the salamander, a mythical animal able to live in fire.

 The huge array of deer heads, reflects the hunting theme of the chateau.

 A view down the never ending path, and when you read the statistics, it certainly is an impressive park.    The estate covers 5440 hectares, and is surrounded by a wall 32 km long with 6 gates.   It is the largest enclosed forest park in Europe and a national game reserve.   800 hectares are open to the public.   The land was once a mosquito infested swamp before it was drained and canals built, during one of the King’s reigns.     

 The roof of Chambord is impressive, a strange mixture of flamboyant Gothic and Italian Renaissance, and a photographer’s delight.

The Chateau was also used during the World War II to house the contents of the Louvre.  Last time we were there,  there was a very interesting display about the storage of items from the Louvre.