Château de Chambord

About this place

The Château de Chambord in Chambord, Centre-Val de Loire, France, is one of the most recognisable châteaux in the world because of its very distinctive French Renaissance architecture, which blends traditional French medieval forms with classical Renaissance structures. The building was commissioned by Francis I of France and built between 1519 and 1547. Chambord is the largest château in the Loire Valley; it was built to serve as a hunting lodge for Francis I, who maintained his royal residences at the Château de Blois and Amboise. The original design of the château is attributed to the Tuscan architect Domenico da Cortona; Leonardo da Vinci may have also influenced the design. Compare the overall outline with the spaces intended for residence and ceremony. The contrast helps reveal how architecture expressed the ambitions of its patrons and how inherited forms could be adapted to new expectations of comfort and display.