If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 216

Château de Chaumont

Here above is Château de Chaumont, also written as Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire, another of the French castles of the Loire River Valley that my friend and his bicycle touring group visited this summer.  This enchanting castle is so much like a fairy tale castle that photos of it often appear in travel advertisements and on pictorial calendars.  Chenonceau.com produced the card with photo image by Marc.

The name Chaumont comes from its location on a “bald hill.”  The first castle to be built here around the year 1000 AD was by order of Odo I, Count of Blois in order to protect his lands from attacks from rivals such as the Count of Anjou.  There is a long line of succession of ownership of the castle until 1455 when it was burned to the ground by Louis XI as punishment to Pierre d’Amboise for his involvement in the League of the Public Weal.  After he was forgiven Amboise the castle was reconstructed (1465 and 1475) and a north wing was added that no longer exists.  Owners included a king’s mistress and Catherine de Medici. It has housed kings, dukes, a glassmaking and pottery factory, a museum of medieval arts, and trapestries cut and pieced to fit the room.  The French Ministry of Culture has classified it as “Monument historique” since 1840. 

My friend wrote that the gardens at Chaumont are where the International Festival of Gardens is held and tht the orchards have many different types of plants and roses.  He also mentioned that the tapestries and carved wooden furniture make it delightful with a stronger Renaissance style than is found at Chambord (postcard Thursday, 212). 

Here below are a few of the pictures my friend sent of Chaumont.

My special thanks to my French friend for sharing the postcard and pictures.

For more glimpses of the history of this palace, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_de_Chaumont
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_the_Public_Weal