Page 64 - DK Eyewitness Travel Guides - The World's Must-See Places

Chateau de Chenonceau
62 EUROPE

Stretching romantically across the Cher River, this French
THE FIRST FIREWORKS
R enaissance cMteau (Renaissance Style, seep. 131) was
After the death of her husband, King Henri II,
in 1559, Catherine de' MediCi moved into the residence of queens and royal mistresses, including
Chenonceau and staged laVIsh balls in her goal Catherine de' Medici and Diane de Poitiers. Transformed
to surpass his mestress, Diane de Poitlers. At a over the centuries from a modest manor and water mill into
feast fa- her son Franc;01s II and his wife Mary
Stuart in 1560, the celebrateons moved into the a castle designed solely for pleasure, it is surrounded by
formal gardens, where guests were treated to elegant formal gardens and wooded grounds. The interior
the first fireworks de splay 1n France. rooms have been restored to their original style, and a small
waxwork museum illustrates the building's history. The site
also includes a stable w ith a miniature train ride down t he A The Three Graces
Painted by Charles-Andr~
lovely tree-lined drive, and several restaurants. VanLoo (1705-65), The
Three Graces depicts the
pretty Mailly-Nesle s isters,
all royal mistresses.

~Cabinet V ert

A Formal Gardens
~Chapelle
The chapel has a vaulted ceiling
and pilasters sculpted with acanthus
leaves and cockle shells. The
stained glass, ruined by a bomb in
1944, was replaced in 1953 .
.Jl

~ To formal
gardens

Louise de Lorraine's Room
w . After the assassination of
her husband, King Henri Ill,
in 1589, Queen Louise had
this roorn painted black and
T our des Marques decorated with monograms,
This tCMter is the only surviving tears. and knots in white.
part of the 15th-century castle
of the Marques famly.

/ KEY DAT ES
1521 1526 1547 1559 1789 1913
The medieval Chenonceau The ch~teau is seized Diane de Poitiers, King On the death of The castle Is spared in The Menier family buys
is acquired by Thomas from the Bohler family Henri ll's lifelong mistress, K ing Henri II, Catherine the French Re110lution Chenonceau and still
Bohler. His wife, Catherine by King Fransois 1 for moves into the chateau de' Medici takes the thanks to its liberal owner, owns ~ today.
Brison net, supervises the unpaid debts to and lays out the gardens. building from Diane Madame Dupin.
rebuilding of thech~teau. the Crown. de Poitiers.