France - Loire Valley Castles (part one)

Loire Valley, known as "the Garden of France", was the favorite residence of Kings of France during the Renaissance period .They made this peaceful countryside the setting for their dreams. Thus was born the Renaissance in France. The kings surrounded themselves with the greatest artists and architects of this era. This is the "country of thousand castles" : not only Royal Castles and Renaissance Palaces ,National Museum and Large magnificent Châteaux , but also : Middle Age‘s Castles and Fortresses, small "Fairy tales" Manors, medieval cities, towers, bastions, churches, abbeys, cathedrals.

Azay le Rideau  - with the Middle Ages, the lords of Tours build a castle on an island in the medium of the Indre river to protect the passage from the road carrying out of Tours to Chinon. In 1119, the lord Ridel of Azay gives to the city his name of Azay le Rideau.

Azay le Ferron  - Located in the Indre department, in the village of Azay le Ferron, the Chateau is a building with a rich architecture from the XV to the XVIII century. From the outside you can see all the different types of architecture . Each owner added something to this Chateau, a tower (built in the 15th century), a garden, an entire wing, or just internal corridors.



Chambord - the largest of the Loire castles, sumptuous Renaissance Palace, creation of the king François I inspired by Leonardo da Vinci.

Chenonceau -"Le Château des Dames”, built on a bridge across river Cher. King Henry II gave it to his Favorite Diane de Poitiers. When he died in a tournament, his widow the queen Catherine de Medici forced Diane to give up Chenonceau for Chaumont sur Loire.

Chaumont - massive fortress overlooking the River Loire

Cheverny - 17th Century castle, built all at the same time with a classical façade. This Château has a rare unity of style in architecture and decoration.

Amboise Royal Castle - built on the top of Gallo Roman and medieval fortresses in the early Renaissance period. The seigniory of Amboise is attached to the crown in 1431 per Charles VII who orders to do some work.

Villandry - built in the 16th century is very close to Azay le Rideau. Italian and Middle Ages influences have completely disappeared. The French classical style (also known as the Henry IV style) prefigures.

Ussé - model for the Castle of the "Sleeping Beauty" by Charles Perrault.

Loches Royal Dungeon - Fatherland of Alfred de Vigny.  The central part of the city preserved its aspect of the Middle Ages: strengthened a "city" reduced to two of its three primitive enclosures crowns the city.

Chinon -a huge fortress, originally a Roman camp. In 11 C, Henry Plantagenêt built most of the castle. After he became King of England, Chinon was his favorite residence in his possessions on this side of the Channel. In 1429, the young Joan of Arc recognized the King of France among 300 courtiers and told him she was a "Messenger of God"...and the king believed in the courageous girl's mission to defeat the English forces. Three Masters in the art of the fortifications especially left their print on the extremely current castle: two kings of England, Henri II and Richard Lion Heart, a king of France, Philippe Auguste.

Bois -In 1391, the estate was bought by the Duke of Orleans, brother of Charles VI. The previous owner of the property was the old Count of Châtillon. His young wife could not resist the very seductive Duke of Orleans. The duke, always broke, squeezed a lot of money out of the young countess. Châtillon quickly found himself broke and obliged to sell the castle, which duke hastened to buy. Sixteen years later, Louis of Orleans was assasinated in Paris by orders of the Duke of Bourgogne, John II the Fearless.