The royal Château de Chambord at Chambord, Loir-et-Cher, France is one of the most recognizable châteaux in the world because
of its very distinct French Renaissance architecture
that blends traditional French medieval forms with classical Italian structures.
Chambord is the largest castle in the Loire Valley, but was built to serve
only as a hunting lodge for François I, who maintained
his royal residences at Château de Blois and at Château d'Amboise.
The original design of the Château de Chambord is attributed, though with several doubts, to Domenico da Cortona, whose wooden model for the design survived long enough to be drawn by André Félibien in the seventeenth century.
of its very distinct French Renaissance architecture
that blends traditional French medieval forms with classical Italian structures.
Chambord is the largest castle in the Loire Valley, but was built to serve
only as a hunting lodge for François I, who maintained
his royal residences at Château de Blois and at Château d'Amboise.
The original design of the Château de Chambord is attributed, though with several doubts, to Domenico da Cortona, whose wooden model for the design survived long enough to be drawn by André Félibien in the seventeenth century.
