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602 photos
Anet Castle, built for Diane de Poitiers, mistress of Henri II, by Philippe Delorme. Only chapel, left wing and portal of the castle remain today. Entrance Hall and staircase.
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Anet Castle, built for Diane de Poitiers, mistress of Henri II, by Philippe...

Castle Pau, where Henri IV was born. Picture shows the tortoise shell supposed to have been his cradle, standards of the House of Navarra and the embroidered "H" of Henri.
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Castle Pau, where Henri IV was born. Picture shows the tortoise shell suppo...

Montaigne Castle, birthplace of philosopher Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592). The Castle was destroyed by fire in 1885, the Library-tower alone remained.
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Montaigne Castle, birthplace of philosopher Michel de Montaigne (153...

Montaigne Castle, birthplace of philosopher Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592). The Castle was destroyed by fire in 1885, the Library-tower alone remained. The wooden ceiling of the Library is inscribed with Greek and Latin quotations.
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Montaigne Castle, birthplace of philosopher Michel de Montaigne (153...

Chenonceaux Castle on the Loire. Built 1513-1521 by Thomas Bohier, Minister of Finance for French King Francois I. Later, Chenonceau became the property of Diane de Poitiers, Mistress of King Henri II the son of Queen Catherine de Medici.
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Chenonceaux Castle on the Loire. Built 1513-1521 by Thomas Bohier, Minister of...

Chambord Castle, built by French King Francois I. The largest of the Loire castles, Chambord has 440 rooms. It is surrounded by a vast park, a former royal hunting ground.
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Chambord Castle, built by French King Francois I. The largest of the Loire castl...

Usse on the Loire is called the "Castle of the Sleeping Beauty," because French fairytale-author Perrault chose it as location for the enchanted Princess.
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Usse on the Loire is called the "Castle of the Sleeping Beauty," because French...

Amboise Castle, lintel of the St. Hubertus Chapel. Virgin and Child adored by French King Charles VIII (1470-1498) and his wife Anne de Bretagne (1477-1514) Francois I. invited Leonardo da Vinci to the manoir du Clos-Luce, where the painter died in 1519. He is buried in the St.Hubertus Chapel.
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Amboise Castle, lintel of the St. Hubertus Chapel. Virgin and Child adored by F...

Amboise Castle, St. Hubertus'Chapel. The lintel shows on the left St. Christopher carrying the Christ-child, on the right St. Hubertus and the stag with a cross between his antlers. Leonardo da Vinci died in Amboise Castle in 1519 and is buried in Saint Hubertus Chapel.
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Amboise Castle, St. Hubertus'Chapel. The lintel shows on the left St. Christoph...

Castle of Angers, built 1228-1238 by King Louis IX, the Saint. A fine example of feudal architecture in slate with white ornaments, it has 17 round towers and is surrounded by moats.
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Castle of Angers, built 1228-1238 by King Louis IX, the Saint. A fine exampl...

Castle of Bussy-Rabotin, where Count Roger de Rabutin spent 16 years of exile from the court of Louis XIV. Before his banishment he spent one year in the Bastille prison, mainly for his book "Histoire Amoureuse des Gaules," describing life at the court of Versailles.
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Castle of Bussy-Rabotin, where Count Roger de Rabutin spent 16 years of exile...

Bussy-Rabutin Castle, the Rotunda with the portraits of those ladies at the Court of Louis XIV, which the banished Count Roger de Rabutin despised most.
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Bussy-Rabutin Castle, the Rotunda with the portraits of those ladies at the C...