Chaumont-sur-Loire castle in France, Loire Valley resort
Rating: 8,5/10 (302 votes)  Chaumont-sur-Loire Castle – one of the Loire's castles belonging to the UNESCO World Heritage and famous for the annual International Garden Festival that takes place here. The castle stands on the rocky mountains of the Loire among ancient forests. At this strategically advantageous location already in X century Count Blois built an observation tower. Two hundred years later, the fortress was inherited by a relative of the count, who married the Count of Amboise. Two hundred years later, Peter I d'Amboise, the then owner of the castle, was accused of participating in a conspiracy against Louis XI. The king ordered the castle to be burned and the lands of the conspiracy participants, including the castle of Amboise, confiscated. But after a while, he himself removed all suspicion from the Amboise family and assisted in the restoration of the Chaumont-sur-Loire castle. The youngest son of Peter I soon became one of the cardinals of the Pope and a friend of Louis XII. The king even visited the castle in 1503. However, soon, during the wars with Italy, the male line of Amboise was cut short and the estate was sold to Catherine de Medici in 1560. Widowed, the Medici traded the castle of Chaumont-sur-Loire for the castle of Chenonceau with Diane de Poitiers, the late king's favorite, but Diana hardly ever appeared at the castle. In the 17th century, the castle was bought by the entrepreneur Jacques-Donatian Le Rey, who opened workshops for artists and the production of glass and ceramics here. The famous English glassblower Robert Scott Godfrey and the Italian master minting coins of Nini and some others. After the death of Le Rey, the castle changed several owners, among them Madame de Stael, sent by Napoleon 40 leagues from Paris, the noble Bruali family and others. In 1938, the castle was sold to the state, which, after carrying out restoration and reconstruction work, opened the castle for free visits. Sculptural reliefs, coats of arms of France, initials of kings, heraldic emblems, carved into the walls; the beautiful tapestries that adorn the room of Catherine de Medici and the chambers of Diane de Poitiers; the observatory room of Ruggeri, the astrologer of Catherine de Medici, in one of the towers; stables with original cone-shaped pavilions; a collection of medallions and coins by Nini; a secret passage to the chapel and the chapel itself. Every summer, the castle hosts the International Garden Festival. We also recommend reading Chateaudun Castle in France, Paris resort Topic: Chaumont-sur-Loire castle in France, Loire Valley resort. |
