Château de Chaumont, Chaumont-sur-Loire, France

The Château de Chaumont was founded in the 10th century by Odo I, Count of Blois. The purpose was to protect his lands from attacks from his feudal rivals, Fulk Nerra, Count of Anjou. On his behalf the Norman Gelduin received it, improved it and held it as his own. His great-niece Denise de Fougère, having married Sulpice d'Amboise, passed the château into the Amboise family for five centuries.

Pierre d'Amboise unsuccessfully rebelled against King Louis XI and his property was confiscated, and the castle was dismantled on royal order in 1465. It was later rebuilt by Charles I d'Amboise from 1465–1475 and then finished by his son, Charles II d'Amboise de Chaumont from 1498–1510, with help from his uncle, Cardinal Georges d'Amboise; some Renaissance features were to be seen in buildings that retained their overall medieval appearance. The château was acquired by Catherine de Medici in 1550. There she entertained numerous astrologers, among them Nostradamus. When her husband, Henry II, died in 1559 she forced his mistress, Diane de Poitiers, to exchange Château de Chaumont for Château de Chenonceau which Henry had given to de Poitiers. Diane de Poitiers only lived at Chaumont for a short while.

Later Chaumont has changed hands several times. Paul de Beauvilliers bought the château in 1699, modernized some of its interiors and decorated it with sufficient grandeur to house the duc d'Anjou on his way to become king of Spain in 1700. Monsieur Bertin demolished the north wing to open the house towards the river view in the modern fashion.

In 1750, Jacques-Donatien Le Ray purchased the castle as a country home where he established a glassmaking and pottery factory. He was considered the French "Father of the American Revolution" because he loved America. However, in 1789, the new French Revolutionary Government seized Le Ray's assets, including his beloved Château de Chaumont.

The castle has been classified as a Monument historique since 1840 by the French Ministry of Culture. The Château de Chaumont is currently a museum and every year hosts a Garden Festival from April to October where contemporary garden designers display their work in an English-style garden.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Ricky Clark (2 years ago)
I gave this 5 star for a reason. We went to visit in our Motorhome expecting to be there for a couple of hours, but wow, it is amazing place and worth every penny. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves..

Suzanne Clifton (2 years ago)
Unlike other château in the area this didn't feel very welcoming to cyclists with bike parking well out the way from the main entrance. You have to pay to be able to even see the outside of the building so I would give this a miss.

Suzanna Szarka (2 years ago)
Beautiful place, the castle, inside, outside! The staff are extremely friendly and helpful! The garden is gorgeous and there are several different contributions, art expositions, palm house for exotic plants! The view to the river Loire is magnificent! I recommend it very much!

Sandra R (3 years ago)
The outside of the chateau is unique, and truly looks like a castle out of a Disney movie. The inside is less impressive, without much to see. The grounds were also not as interesting or grand as some of the others in the area. We ended up not staying very long.

Mysti Lilla (3 years ago)
This is my favorite castle in the area. It looks so cool in the front area, and it's a really pretty and we'll designed castle with really great views. But then you have extensive gardens too that are super pretty to walk through. They Valley of Mist is probably my favorite part of that. Art shows in the gardens.

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