Chateau de Chenonceau description and photos - France: Loire Valley
Rating: 7,6/10 (354 votes) 
Chateau de Chenonceau description and photos - France: Loire Valley. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Chateau de Chenonceau. Photo and descriptionChenonceau Castle, or, as it is sometimes called, "ladies' castle" - one of the most beautiful and romantic in the Loire Valley. It crosses the Cher River like a bridge - it seems to grow straight out of these slow waters. An amazing sight. The history of the castle dates back to the XIII century. From 1243 it belonged to the de Marc family. During the Hundred Years War, the French owner placed an English garrison in the fortress. The enraged king ordered to tear down the fortifications, the family had to sell the inheritance to the financial quartermaster of Normandy, Thomas Boye. He demolished the old castle (except for the keep) and erected a new one. Already at the construction stage, the fate of the castle was determined: in the absence of Boyer, his wife Catherine supervised the work. Corner towers from four sides surrounded the central volume with pointed arches. The beauty of the castle did not benefit the family: in 1533, Francis I confiscated the property - officially for the financial sins of Thomas Boye, in fact, wanting to get excellent hunting grounds. The king was having fun here in a narrow circle, which included his second wife Eleanor of Habsburg, son Henry, daughter-in-law Catherine de Medici, favorite of the monarch Anne de Pisleux and mistress of his son Diane de Poitiers. In 1547, the crown passed to Henry II , and he, in violation of the law, presented the castle to Diane de Poitiers. She redesigned the park and garden, planted artichokes and melons. It was Diane de Poitiers who undertook the construction of a stone bridge across the Cher river. In 1559, Henry II died of a wound received at the tournament, Catherine de Medici became regent and regained Chenonceau. She arranged brilliant holidays here, laid out new gardens. In 1580, the architect Andrue Dyceseau built a new wing of the castle on a stone bridge with rhythmically alternating projections (protrusions on the facade). The castle has acquired a modern look. Dying, the Medici handed him over to Louise de Vaudemont, wife of Henry III. She wore white mourning for the king here, which is why the widow de Vaudemont was nicknamed “the white lady.” In 1733, the castle passed into the hands of the banker Claude Dupin. His wife Louise opened a fashionable salon here, set up a theater and a physical office. Madame Dupin lived in Chenonceau until she was ninety-three years old, surrounded by loving servants who kept the estate intact during the revolution. Since 1888, Chenonceau belongs to the wealthy Meunier family. During the First World War, Senator Gaston Meunier placed a hospital here for two thousand front-line soldiers. During the Second World Castle, located on the border of the unoccupied territory of France, became a contact point of the Resistance. Today, visitors walk to the castle along a long alley bordered by old plane trees. On the right is the garden of Diane de Poitiers, at the entrance to it is the Chancellery, the house of the manager of the 16th century. An ancient donjon stands in the corner of the Main Courtyard. On the lower floor of the castle, there is the Hall of the Guards with tapestries from the 16th century. In the art gallery - canvases by Rubens, Primaticcio, Van Loo, Mignard, Nattier. The former royal stables houses a wax museum. It recreates scenes of love and jealousy that were played out here hundreds of years ago. Notes
            We also recommend reading City Garden and Spa Park description and photos - Lithuania: Alytus Topic: Chateau de Chenonceau description and photos - France: Loire Valley. |
