Château de Chambord
On 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 commissioned this massive structure as a hunting lodge near his existing royal residences at Blois and Amboise. The original design is attributed to the Tuscan architect Domenico da Cortona, though Leonardo da Vinci may have influenced the project. Work progressed slowly due to the Italian War of 1521, 1526 and dwindling royal funds. By 1524, walls stood barely above ground level while construction halted for years. Building resumed in September 1526 when 1,800 workers were employed on site under the supervision of Pierre Neveu. At the time of King Francis I's death in 1547, the total cost reached 444,070 livres. The king spent only seven weeks there during his lifetime, using it strictly for short hunting visits rather than permanent residence.
The château features 440 rooms, 282 fireplaces, and 84 staircases within its massive stone frame. A spectacular open double-spiral staircase serves as the centrepiece, ascending three floors without ever meeting. Writer John Evelyn described it as having four entries that cross one another so people never come into sight until they land. The structure contains 274 steps according to Evelyn's memory and was considered an extraordinary work despite high expense. The roofscape contrasts sharply with masonry masses and resembles a city skyline with eleven kinds of towers and three types of chimneys. Henry James remarked that these elements looked more like spires of a town than points of a single building. Open windows and loggias borrowed from Italian Renaissance architecture proved less practical in northern France's cold climate. The walls, towers, and partial moat remain decorative since no serious defence was intended against enemies.
After King Francis I died of a heart attack in 1547, the château remained unused for almost a century. French kings abandoned the property for over eighty years allowing it to fall into decay. In 1639 King Louis XIII gave the estate to his brother Gaston, Duke of Orléans who saved it through extensive restoration work. King Louis XIV later restored the great keep and furnished royal apartments while adding a 1,200-horse stable. Molière presented the premiere of Le Bourgeois gentilhomme there during Louis XIV's brief annual visits. However, Louis XIV abandoned Chambord completely in 1685. Stanisław Leszczyński lived at the palace between 1725 and 1733 as deposed King of Poland. Maurice de Saxe installed his military regiment there after receiving the gift in 1745 but died in 1750 leaving the castle empty again. The final attempt to occupy the colossus came from Count of Chambord until his death in 1883.
In 1792 the Revolutionary government ordered the sale of all furnishings inside the Château de Chambord. Wall panellings were removed and floors taken up to be sold for timber value. Panelled doors were burned to keep rooms warm during sales according to M de la Saussaye. The empty château remained abandoned until Napoleon Bonaparte gave it to Louis Alexandre Berthier. The property was subsequently purchased from Berthier's widow by Henry Charles who became Count of Chambord. A brief restoration attempt occurred under King Charles X before both were exiled in 1830. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow described the dilapidation in Outre-Mer: A Pilgrimage Beyond the Sea published in the 1830s noting grass had overgrown courtyards and sculptures broken on walls. During the Franco-Prussian War between 1870 and 1871 the château served as a field hospital. Any restoration efforts ended with World War I starting in 1914 when the family of Duke of Parma sued to recover confiscated enemy property.
In 1939 shortly before World War II began, art collections from the Louvre and Compiègne museums including the Mona Lisa were stored at Chambord. An American B-24 Liberator bomber crashed onto the lawn on the 22nd of June 1944 damaging grounds but not the main structure. The château belonged to the French state since 1930 after legal battles concluded in 1932. Restoration work did not begin until years after World War II ended in 1945. The image of the castle has been widely used to sell commodities ranging from chocolate to alarm clocks making it one of France's best known architectural examples. Today around 700,000 people visit the château annually according to 2007 statistics. The building continues to serve as both historical monument and active tourist destination despite occasional damage from external events.
After unusually heavy rainfall in June 2016, the River Cosson flooded its banks breaching the wall around the château. Metal gates tore from framing while roads suffered damage and trees became uprooted during the storm. Drone photography documented peak flooding levels affecting the property though the château itself remained undamaged. Repairs cost approximately 200,000 Euro for the damaged infrastructure systems. In 2025 the director announced that Francis I wing required urgent repairs needing 37 million euro for restoration. The foundation noted paradoxically how the natural disaster affected Francis I's vision of Chambord rising from waters as if diverting the Loire. Despite these challenges the estate maintains operations as a major tourist attraction with ongoing management strategies addressing structural needs.
Château de Chambord served as the model for Schwerin Palace reconstruction between 1845 and 1857 across Europe. The style proliferated throughout the United Kingdom influencing buildings like Founder's Building at Royal Holloway University London designed by William Henry Crossland. Fettes College in Edinburgh received similar architectural frameworks from David Bryce in 1870. Between 1874 and 1889 Waddesdon Manor was built with twin staircase towers inspired directly by the original design disseminated via architect Gabriel-Hippolyte Destailleur. Windows at Waddesdon were glazed unlike those at Chambord while remaining far more ornate according to Mark Girouard's documentation. The château continues to influence modern structures globally through its distinctive Renaissance features blended with medieval forms. Its recognition spans continents making it one of most identifiable castles worldwide today.
Continue Browsing
Common questions
When did construction of the Château de Chambord begin and who ordered it?
Construction began on the 6th of September 1519 when Francis de Pontbriand received a direct order to start building. King Francis I of France commissioned this massive structure as a hunting lodge near his existing royal residences at Blois and Amboise.
What are the key architectural features inside the Château de Chambord?
The château contains 440 rooms, 282 fireplaces, and 84 staircases within its massive stone frame. A spectacular open double-spiral staircase serves as the centrepiece ascending three floors without ever meeting according to writer John Evelyn.
Who lived in the Château de Chambord after King Francis I died in 1547?
French kings abandoned the property for over eighty years allowing it to fall into decay until King Louis XIII gave the estate to his brother Gaston Duke of Orléans in 1639. Stanisław Leszczyński lived at the palace between 1725 and 1733 as deposed King of Poland while Maurice de Saxe installed his military regiment there after receiving the gift in 1745.
How did the Revolutionary government affect the interior of the Château de Chambord in 1792?
In 1792 the Revolutionary government ordered the sale of all furnishings inside the Château de Chambord including wall panellings and floors taken up to be sold for timber value. Panelled doors were burned to keep rooms warm during sales according to M de la Saussaye.
When was the Château de Chambord transferred to the French state and what happened during World War II?
The château belonged to the French state since 1930 after legal battles concluded in 1932. In 1939 shortly before World War II began art collections from the Louvre and Compiègne museums including the Mona Lisa were stored at Chambord.