French Châteaux: Top Photos

Stone palaces of the Loire Valley where kings made power beautiful

Northwest façade of Chambord castle. Built between 1519 and 1547 by François I, it was heavily extended afterwards by Henri II and Louis XIV to its final shape we know well today. Chambord castle is a
Chambord's northwest façade — the building Francis I called a hunting lodge. Commissioned in 1519 and extended by Henri II and Louis XIV, it still stops you cold on approach. © Benh LIEU SONG, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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