Chateau de Fontainebleau

Today we headed to Fontainebleau. This was actually a really fun one to research because it’s not very well known. Last week I raved about how much better the palaces of Versailles was without people cluttering the rooms—well Fontainebleau is not as well known as Versailles so the rooms are perpetually empty! Well, not empty but if you wait a few minutes they clear out so you can enjoy them without others cluttering the views.

So what is Fontainebleau? Well, it’s a castle that started out as a Bourbon hunting lodge and it’s about an hour south of Paris. This castle is unique because it’s been almost continuously inhabited since its creation and each owner did their own unique addition. It’s interesting because each addition was done in the style of its own time period with no attempt to blend with the existing style and can be seen in the décor and architecture. Nine different eras can be depicted from its distinguishing decor and architecture, starting with medieval with the construction of the chapel in 1169.

It passed through many hands before eventually falling to Francois I in 1528. He did most of the work on the castle through his vision to rival the great courts of Italy. I really like reading about Francois I. He’s not an exceptional king, actually he got into a ridiculous feud with Charles V, went to war against him four times and came out the loser each time. But he is remembered, however, for his love of art and known for introducing the Renaissance to France. He invited Italian artists (like de Vinci) to paint for him and showcase their art in his gallery. He was incredibly selective of who could see the gallery and wore a key around his neck to monitor the flow of visitors.

As much as he loved art, he loved architecture more, if you can believe it! He is responsible for building or adding to the Chateau de Blois, Chamord, Fontainebleau, St Germain en Laye, Villandry, Chambord, Bois de Bologne and even commissioned Paris City Hall. Francois I also had a deep love of reading and learning (are you starting to see why I like him so much) that made him very open minded and knowledgeable about a lot of things. So much so, that the country and government thought he was promoting religious innovation, at a time when that was not at all acceptable. When in fact he didn't care for religious innovation at all but he had an alliance with German Protestants and couldn’t very well prosecute Protestants in France.

The next major addition was during the 17th century when a new courtyard and buildings were added as well as a new main entrance to the town and a major extension of the gardens. The 18th century was spent trying to outdo the previous restorations by adding a new theater and under the watchful eye of Louis XIV the gardens were completely replanted. After the Revolution, Napoleon took over and restored everything that had been damaged (which was almost everything). He used it as a country residence, imperial palace and home to his military academy. This was his favorite residence but curiously only spent 170 days here. This is where he fled after the Campaign for Paris and this is where the Treaty of Fontainebleau was signed, which ended Napoleon’s reign and exiled him to Elba.

The estate was left dormant in the 1870’s and it wasn’t until after WWI when JD Rockefeller Jr restored it, although I’m not exactly sure why. It was used as a German operation site in WWII, a NATO headquarters for 20 years, and then a UNESCO site. The forest is no longer used for hunting, but rather a conservation site that actually hosts some endangered species.

The forest of Fontainebleau is actually the largest in the region and there’s so much to do and see. We only got a small taste but there is hiking, camping, climbing, and so much natural and artificial beauty that inspired artists historically and to this day.

We also decided that we would rent a boat and paddle around the small pond. It turned out to be a display of my horrible rowing in the middle of all the tourists but it was a great view of the chateau and a really fun activity anyway!