Set on a defensible bluff with sweeping views along the Loire, Chaumont-sur-Loire presents an elegantly streamlined medieval face, with its cylindrical corner turrets and sturdy drawbridge, though its interior furnishings date almost exclusively from the 19th century. At least two earlier fortresses occupied the site (whose name derives from Chauve Mont, ‘Bald Hill’), but the main construction for the present château began around 1465 under Pierre d’Amboise.
Visit Chaumont’s elaborate gardens independently or with the château; they’re at their finest during the annual Festival International des Jardins .
Originally a strictly defensive fortress, Chaumont-sur-Loire became a short-lived residence for Catherine de Médicis following the death of Henri II in 1560, and later passed into the hands of Diane de Poitiers (Henri II’s mistress), who was forced by Catherine to swap the altogether grander surroundings of Chenonceau for Chaumont. Savvy Diane used Chaumont’s vast landholdings, but there is no evidence she ever lived in the castle.
In the second half of the 18th century, its owner, Jacques-Donatien Le Ray, a supporter of the American Revolution and an intimate of Benjamin Franklin, had the decrepit north wing removed. In 1875, Princess de Broglie, heiress to the Say sugar fortune, bought the château and thoroughly renovated and furnished it. The most impressive room is the council chamber , with its original majolica-tiled floor, plundered from a palace in Palermo. Also, don’t miss the écuries (stables), built in 1877 to house the Broglies’ horses in sumptuous style. A fine collection of vintage carriages and equestrian gear is displayed inside.
It’s worth getting the informative multimedia guide (€4) or downloading the app.
