Written TidbitsChâteaux of the Loire

By Jim and Emmy Humberd

As we looked at our map of France we saw that the cities of Nantes, Angers, Tours, Blois, and Orléans are located along 200 miles of the Loire River Valley. The Seventeen Great (and uncounted smaller) Châteaux of the Loire River country are located on both sides of the river.

Our dictionary says that the French word Châteaux means the same as "castle" in English, but the turrets, walls, and drawbridges on these Châteaux (except for Angers) do not look like, for example, those on castles in England and Germany. Most of these Châteaux are more like huge beautiful mansions.

This area is about two hundred miles south and west of Paris, well away from the hustle and bustle and the problems of the big city. The Loire River is shallow in the summer, sometimes bursting its dikes in late winter, and at many places it is quite wide with scattered small islands and sandbars.

A great number of the Châteaux were built in forest and hunting reserves over a period of several hundred years, so after one king built his "home," that just invited the next king, or nobleman, to build in the same area.

One of Angers most impressive structures is the Châteaux de Foulques, with seventeen large round towers, 130 to 165 feet tall, layered in dark and light stone. The Apocalypse Tapestry is displayed in a huge three-story room in the Châteaux.

Originally ninety scenes on six tapestries that were 78 by 20 feet each, the Apocalypse Tapestry was at one time discarded as a piece of no value. The seventy pictures that remain as a 335 by 16 feet display, closely follow the text of the Book of Revelation in the New Testament.

The Châteaux de Saumur was just across the river from our RV in the Municipal Campsite at Saumur. The little village of Loches is one not to miss. We did not go inside the Châteaux, but La Cité médiévale (the old town), is special.

With its foundation extending vertically down the face of the cliff, the Châteaux de Châteaudun appears to tower over the countryside from its perch above the Loire. Viewed from across the river it looks quite austere, but when we arrived on top of the hill, the Châteaux resembled a stately mansion that has been restored with care.

Châteaux de Cheverny is a stately mansion completed in 1634 and is one of the more modern Châteaux. The "Bourre" stone (quarried 17 miles away) used in its construction gets harder and whiter as it gets older. Emmy said, "I like my kitchen better, my bath is nicer, etc." As would be expected, the baths and kitchens in a 300 to 500 year old, 400 room mansion, do not have all the latest in fixtures and features.

One evening we took a walk around the town of Cour Cheverny and saw an antique shop that appeared to be an antique itself. By the looks of the cob-webs and the dust covered items on the shelves and in the windows, it may not have been open since some of the items inside were new.

The Châteaux de Chenonceaux is reached by walking a quarter mile down a broad avenue lined with huge plane trees. As we approached the Châteaux, the precision-planted flower garden on the left was named for Henri II's mistress, Diane. The "Catherine de Medici's Garden" on the right, is named for Henri II's wife. After Henri II died, Catherine threw Diane out of the Châteaux and lived there herself. Constructed from 1513 to 1521, as a bridge across the Cher River, the Châteaux was called "The Châteaux of Six Women." In addition to the ladies mentioned above, Catherine Briçonnet, Louise of Lorraine, Madame Dupin, and Madame Pelouze all lived there at one time or another, ranging from the 1500s to the late-1800s.

Châteaux de Blois, with a five story spiral staircase, is situated on top of a hill, in the heart of town. The Châteaux became a royal residence, and for a long time it played a part comparable with that of Versailles a few hundred years later.

Chambord, the Châteaux built in the 1500s with dozens of pointed towers, looks like a roofer's nightmare, or rather a roofer's retirement plan. This is the largest Châteaux in the area, with 440 rooms and a famous double spiral staircase said to have been designed by Leonardo da Vinci.

The Châteaux in Amboise sits on a hill overlooking the Loire, and was in its glory in the 1400s. Charles VII was born here in 1403, and he died here in 1461 after bumping his head on a low doorway in the Châteaux. Leonardo da Vinci lived in the Clos-Luce, a red-bricked manor house nearby, until he (da Vinci) died on May 2, 1519, at the age of 67.

Books by Jim and Emmy Humberd:
Invitation to France
Invitation to Germany
Invitation to Italy

Related Links:
Chateaux de France ...
The Loire Valley
Loire Valley Castles

Hotels in the Loire Valley

French Video Immersion