Château de Chambord
The largest château of the Loire Valley, with its celebrated double-helix staircase.
Chambord was commissioned by King Francis I in 1519 as a hunting residence in the forests of the Loire Valley, and building continued until 1547. The largest of the Loire châteaux, it blends French medieval forms with Italian Renaissance ideas, and its design has long been linked to Leonardo da Vinci, who spent his final years nearby.
At its heart is the celebrated double-helix staircase, whose two flights wind around each other without meeting. The roof terrace bristles with towers, lanterns and chimneys, and the building has around 440 rooms. It stands in a walled estate of more than 50 square kilometres, the largest enclosed park in Europe, and is part of the Loire Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Highlights
- Double-helix staircase
- Roof terraces with chimneys and lanterns
- Royal apartments of Francis I and Louis XIV
- Vast walled forest estate
![Afrique occidentale française : Cathédrale à St Louis / [photogr. Eugène] Gallois ; [photogr. reprod. par Radiguet et Massiot pour la conférence donnée par] Gallois](https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/Afrique_occidentale_fran%C3%A7aise_-_Cath%C3%A9drale_%C3%A0_St_Louis_-_%28photogr._Eug%C3%A8ne%29_Gallois_%3B_%28photogr._reprod._par_Radiguet_et_Massiot_pour_la_conf%C3%A9rence_donn%C3%A9e_par%29_Gallois_-_btv1b532798828.jpg/500px-thumbnail.jpg)
![[Golestan, Le Salon et Fete de l'equinode, Teheran, Iran (le Pavillion du Trone)]](https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/33/-Golestan%2C_Le_Salon_et_Fete_de_l%27equinode%2C_Teheran%2C_Iran_%28le_Pavillion_du_Trone%29-_MET_DP202918.jpg/500px--Golestan%2C_Le_Salon_et_Fete_de_l%27equinode%2C_Teheran%2C_Iran_%28le_Pavillion_du_Trone%29-_MET_DP202918.jpg)
![Théâtre de la guerre dans l'Inde sur la coste de Coromandel / par M.B.C.T. [Monsieur Bourcet Capitaine ?] ; gravé par Croisey](https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Fort_de_Calicuta_-_btv1b59706294.jpg/500px-Fort_de_Calicuta_-_btv1b59706294.jpg)
