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Royal residences in France

  • Palace of VersaillesIn 1623, King Louis XIII built a small hunting lodge on a wooded wetland site west of Paris. The location near the village of Versailles was considered…
  • Tuileries PalaceConstruction began in 1564 on a site that had been filled with workshops and kilns making roof tiles. Catherine de' Medici purchased the land between 1563…
  • Palace of FontainebleauIn 1137, King Louis VII the Younger established a royal residence at Fontainebleau, though evidence suggests a structure may have existed earlier during the…
  • Château de ChambordOn the 6th of September 1519, Francis de Pontbriand received a direct order to begin building the Château de Chambord. King Francis I of France had…
  • Louvre PalaceIn 1190 King Philip II of France ordered the construction of a defensive wall all around Paris. To protect the city, he opted to build the Louvre as a…