Fontainebleau

This is one of the most beautiful chateaux in France. Its interior decorations are especially interesting as a fine example of the French Renaissance style. At the same time, its historical significance is hard to overestimate, since it was the preferred residence of French kings and emperors for 7 centuries. The first mention of the castle dates back to 1137 but by the time when François I decided to make it his principal residence (1527), the medieval castle was mostly in ruins. This monarch undertook an ambitious reconstruction program, playing himself the role of the chief architect and inviting two prominent Italian artists, Rosso and Primatice to decorate the interior. Their collaboration resulted in such treasures as the François I gallery (pictured right) with wooden panels, stuccoes and frescoes depicting various episodes from the life of the king; the Church of the Trinity and the Ball room are also from this epoch. After François I, many French monarchs chose Fontainebleau as their residence; the construction started by François I was mostly completed under Henri II and Henri IV. Louis XIII, the son of Henri IV was born in Fontainebleau; the tourists can see the room where Marie de' Medici delivered the baby and imagine how crowded it was at the time: to avoid any risk of substitution, the birth of the king must take place in presence of many witnesses.Somewhat neglected during the French Revolution, the Fontainebleau castle is back to its glory under the reign of Napoleon I, who lived there for a long time and bade his farewell to his troops in the court of the castle in 1814. The visitor can see the Emperor's Throne room (unique in France) and his private apartments. Pope Pius VII visited Fontainebleau twice, first as a guest and then as a prisoner of Napoleon; the papal quarters are open to visitors. After your visit to the main building, do not forget to take a stroll in the park and the gardens around the castle; you will see Diane's fountain and (if you are lucky) meet one of the peacocks who live there. Although by no means less interesting than the Versailles castle, the Fontainebleau castle is a bit more difficult to reach and less known to tourists; as a result, there are at least ten times less visitors in Fontainebleau than in Versailles. Except maybe on national holidays, there is never a queue to get in, and you can explore the immense castle almost on your own, which, together with the fresh air and the absence of street vendors contributes to make your visit a very peaceful and enjoyable experience. The castle is open every day except Tuesday, January 1, May 1 and December 25th. Entrance fee for adults is free for children below 18 and residents of the EU below 26. UNESCO World Heritage Site whc.unesco.org/en/list/160

An important forest area of 25,000 ha with an altitude ranging from 42 m to 144 m. Each year, millions of visitors come to walk (13 million in 2006). 40,000 years ago, nomadic populations were established near the forest. Around the year 1000, the forest was composed of a series of enclaves that shared little lords and wealthy landowners . For the kings of France, the forest had indeed many uses including hunting and a military interest. In 1400, Charles VI ordered the first amendment of the forest. Under Francis I, the forest consisted of only 13 365 ha but the Kings expanded it through acquisitions and forfeitures. It was at this time the management of the forest and administration took shape and was kept until the Revolution. At the time of Louis XIV, less than 20% of the area was forested. Colbert launched a new reformation in 1664 replanting the sites. The king then traverses the forest each year in the fall for hunting. In 1716, after the terrible winter of 1709, a new forest management was enacted: 6000 ha were planted with deciduous trees, but this was an almost total failure. A new development was revived in 1750. In 1786, a shy introduction of Scots pine is attempted. In 1750, around 90 km from the forest is bounded by 1050 terminals still visible today. After the Revolution, after many deep cuts and proliferation of game misconduct hunting Napoleon in 1807 reformed the forest administration and the castle. In 1830, the planting of 6,000 ha of other pine angered artists who seek inspiration in the forest. In 1839, Claude-François Denecourt released its first guide forest walks and trails the first landscape in 1842 In 1849 the railway arrived at Fontainebleau, which will allow Parisians to visit Fontainebleau by day trips . In 1861 was created the first artistic reserve 1097 ha. It is the first nature reserve in the world, even before the creation of Yellowstone National Park in the United States. In 1953, the first biological reserves were created.

Baroque French château, the prototype for the Château de Versailles.

Inaugurated in 1909, the Fontainebleau golf course is one of the oldest in France. Created by Frenchman Julien Chantepie, redesigned in 1920 by Tom Simpson and elongated and modified by Fred Hawtree, it is located in the Fontainebleau forest, near the town, on the ancient imperial hunting grounds. Its narrow fairways are bordered with various species of trees such as pines silver birch, wild cherry, beech and centenary oak. It is very well equipped with 103 fine sand bunkers and also, dense outcrops of brooms, lilacs, ferns and wonderful jennets, which makes the course so attractive and difficult. And, according to the seasons, a symphony of colours and the scents of nature await you.

After two years of renovation, it has become one of the most beautiful equestrian sites in Europe. Capable of fulfilling its mission as a vast garden for the inhabitants of the Fontainebleau region, it can now accommodate all kinds of events, from shows to concerts and music festivals.