The Palace of Fontainebleau

The Palace of Fontainebleau (Château de Fontainebleau) located 55 km southeast of the center of Paris, is one of the largest French royal castles. The medieval castle and subsequent palace served as the residence for the French monarchs from Louis VII to Napoleon III. Francis I and Napoleon were the monarchs who had the greatest influence on the palace as it stands. In 1927, Fontainebleau became a national museum, and in 1981 it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

In this magnificent palace, four monarchs were born in history: Philip IV the Handsome, Francis II of Valois, Henry III of Valois and Louis XIII.

From time immemorial, the Fontainebleau forest was the hunting grounds of the French crown. The present palace was founded on the site of the previous ones by King Francis I. It was the first royal residence in northern Europe, devoid of any defensive function. The king invited masters of Italian Mannerism, such as Primaticcio and Benvenuto Cellini, to build and decorate the palace. It was from here that the fashion for mannerism spread throughout Europe.

After the death of Francis, the palace was completed by Henry II of Valois and Catherine de Medici. During their lifetime, construction work was supervised by the famous architect Philibert Delorme. Henry IV also favored Fontainebleau. It was he who ordered to dig a 1200-meter canal to the palace and fill it with fish for fishing. After Louis XIV moved to Versailles, the palace of his ancestors was forgotten and dilapidated, but Napoleon returned Fontainebleau to its former splendor, spending a lot of time here and updating its Empire style interiors. Sympathy for Fontainebleau was also inherited by Napoleon III, who ordered a new theater building for the architect Lefuel.

We offer half-day trips to Fontainebleau from Paris with a tour of the palace and a walk in the park.

• Official website

• Wikipedia article