The Fontainebleau Chateau, located about 35 miles southeast of Paris, stands on the site of a former royal residence of the 12th century French king, Louis XIII. The estate borders the Fontainebleau Forest, a royal hunting ground and a favorite of many French kings.
The present palace was begun in 1528 by the renaissance king, Francois I. The palace's grand architectural style, formal with many courtyards came to be known as Fontainebleau style. Fontainebleau continued to be a favorite, particularly of Napoleon I and his nephew, Napoleon III.
Today, the palace is run by the French government, which is working on its gradual restoration. Visitors are invited to tour many of the castle's rooms as well as the extensive grounds and gardens.
Subsequent kings, including Henri II with his wife Catherine Medici and Henri IV, added on extensively to the castle. Henry IV added the fishing canal and expanded the formal gardens into the forest. The magnificent castle fell into disrepair, as did many French monuments, during the period following the French revolution. It lay dormant until Napoleon chose it as the site to receive Pope Pius VII for Napoleon's coronation in 1804. He remodeled, redecorated, and refurnished Fontainebleau in the Empire style for which his reign is known. After Napoleon's fall, his nephew Napoleon III based his court at Fontainebleau.
Fontainebleau has been the site of numerous historic events. Among them were the birth of Kings Henri II and Louis XIII, the marriage of Louis XV, Napoleon's abdication, and the signing of the Edict of Fontainebleau, which repelled the Edict de Nantes and thus limited religious freedom in France for over a century.
Click on "Show on map" button to see location of the castle
Have any question?
