palace of fontainebleau

Palace of Fontainebleau

History

Fontainebleau forest for centuries was a hunting ground of French kings. It was the first in northern Europe, the royal residence, without any defences. The king invited for the

construction and decoration of the palace masters from Italy. After moving to Versailles, the

palace of his ancestors had been forgotten and

dilapidated, but Napoleon returned to its former

splendor of Fontainebleau.

Nowadays about 11 million tourists visit this Palace of French kings every year.

It is one of the most spectacular Heritage Sites in

France. Inside the castle we can see

a lot of unique paintings,

sculptures and antique furniture.

Park of Fontainebleau

ENGLISH GARDEN

Formerly the Pine Garden, this garden was redesigned in the English style in the 19th century and its broad lines were

developed under Napoleon 1st, with an artificial river running through it.

DIANA GARDEN OR THE QUEEN'S GARDEN

A space completely closed in by an orangery built by Henri IV in brick and stone. In the

centre of the garden, one can discover Diana’s Fountain

(1602), topped by the statue of the hunting goddess and

surrounded by four bronze dogs come from the Louvre where they had previously

been installed.

Since 1981 the palace and park of Fontainebleau were included in the list

of UNESCO World heritage sites in France.