CastleXPlorer

The Château de Chambord is a magnificent renaissance castle located at Chambord, Loir-et-Cher in France and is often regarded the most beautiful castle in the Loire Valley. The Château de Chambord was originally built as a hunting lodge for King François I, while its construction lasted from 1519 to 1547. The original design of the Castle of Chambord is attributed to different architects. Some believe the original design was made by Domenico da Cortona, while others claim that the original castle was designed by French architect Philibert Delorme. Some authors even suggest that Leonardo da Vinci played a major role in the design for the castle.

Château de Chambord, France

After the death of King François I the Château de Chambord was abandoned until 1639 when King Louis XIII gave it to his brother Gaston d'Orleans who ordered its restoration. Under King Louis XIV (1638 – 1715) the Château de Chambord became again a royal castle and completed in its present appearance but after the completion of the Palace of Versailles the Château de Chambord was abandoned by the crown. King Louis XV let to use the castle by his father-in-law and the deposed King of Poland Stanislas I (Stanislas Leszczynski) but in 1745 the King of France gave the Château de Chambord to Marshal of France, Maurice de Saxe. During the French Revolution was the castle in danger being demolished and it was left abandoned until Napoleon Bonaparte gave it to French military leader Louis Alexander Berthier. After his death the Château de Chambord passed to Henri Charles Dieudonné who became the Comte de Chambord. After his death in 1883 the castle was left to the Ducal family of Parma. Before the outbreak of the World War II were in the Château de Chambord stored the collections of the Louvre and Compiègne museums. Since 1930 is the castle of Chambord owned by the French government who restored it after the end of World War II in 1945.