Château de Chantilly

The Chantilly castle is located in the French town of Chantilly in Oise, about 50 kilometers north-east of Paris, was built around 1560 for Anne de Montmorency and inhabited in the 19th century by the Duke of Aumale, the son of the Citizen-King Louis- Philippe, who it the Institut de France bequeathed.

The Castle of Chantilly is famous mainly for his park, his art collection and his horse stud. The castle and the park are open to visitors.

History

1484 reached an older predecessor in the possession of the noble house of Montmorency, and 1528-1551 the medieval castle of the French army commander Anne de Montmorency was considerably extended and converted into a Renaissance castle. Over the next three hundred years, numerous structural changes has been made. From 1643 to 1830 the castle was the residence of the powerful dukes of Condé - interrupted by the French Revolution and the Napoleonic era.

The castle was rebuilt in the Baroque style of architecture. From 1670 to 1688 the park was greatly expanded by the famous horticulturist André Le Nôtre. He belongs to the famous baroque gardens of France and combines huge pool of water with an equally large lawns and wide vistas to the horizon. From 1775 an idealized peasant village was in the park, whose exterior was remodeled during the 18th century in the style of an English landscape gardens built, which one tastes after as rural idyll designed and Queen Marie Antoinette as a model for her Hameau ( German: village ) in the Park of the Petit Trianon chose.

1830 inherited the last Prince Condé his property, which also includes Chantilly belonged to his great- nephew Henri of Orléans, Duke of Aumale ( 1822-1897 ). 1876-82 was Aumale on the foundations of the completely destroyed during the Revolution Great castle a new palace built according to the plans of the French architect Honoré Daumet ( 1826-1911 ) to build. The historicist style corresponded to the taste of the second half of the 19th century.

In 1834 the racecourse was founded, which achieved international fame with the stud. The stables of 1719 are not only among the largest and most magnificent houses in the world, but they also offer an impressive picture of the architecture of the Ancien Régime. 1886 Aumale bequeathed the castle, its gardens and outbuildings to the Institut de France.

In World War I when this was the headquarters of the French armed forces. Here also several Allied conferences were held. Today it is open to visitors.

The castle houses the Musée Condé one of the greatest private art collections in the world, and a historic library in miniature castle with 700 manuscripts and 12,000 rare books, including the Très Riches Heures, and a Gutenberg Bible.

Quotes

"Of all the places that the sun shines, there is no more like these. "

"I 've never eaten such a good cream so tasty and so well prepared. "

"Why did you lead me seven times to Versailles and never here?"

Trivia

The castle served as a backdrop for the James Bond film in the face of death.