Chateau de Chenonceau

Description

Open Edition Reproduction

The Chateau de Chenonceau is notable for being the second-most visited chateau of France, after Versailles.
Originally a medieval square keep on the Che River (on the left of the illustration), the site was acquired by Henri II in 1514 and refurbished as a gift to his mistress, Dianne de  Poitiers, who extended the keep with the gallery bridge across the Cher.

Unhappily, after Henri’s death by accident in a jousting session, his wife, the notorious Catherine de Medici, ousted Dianne and used the chateau extensively for her own enjoyment, creating an impressive garden in the process. During WWII, the chateau was a key escape route from Nazi-occupied France to the Vichy side across the river."