Château de Fontainebleau

The Château de Fontainebleau is a royal château, mainly in the Renaissance and Classical styles, near the town centre of Fontainebleau, some sixty kilometres south-east of Paris, France. The earliest traces of a château at Fontainebleau date back to the 12th century. The last building works were carried out in the 19th century.

A major site in the history of France, the Château de Fontainebleau was one of the residences of French sovereigns from François I, who made it his favourite home, through to Napoleon III. Several kings left their mark on the château's construction and history, making it a witness to the various phases of France's history since the Middle Ages. Surrounded by extensive grounds and neighbouring the Forêt de Fontainebleau, the château combines elements of medieval, Renaissance and Classical styles. It bears witness to the meeting of Italian art and French tradition, expressed both in its architecture and its interior decoration. This distinctive character stems from François I's wish to create in Fontainebleau a "new Rome" where Italian artists could showcase their talent and influence French art. This is how the School of Fontainebleau was born, representing the richest period of Renaissance art in France, and inspiring French painting through to the mid-17th century and beyond. Napoleon I thus nicknamed the château the "house of the centuries", evoking the historical memories the site bears witness to.

The château has been listed as a historic monument since 1862, with this listing supplemented by several further orders in 1913, 1930, 2008 and 2009. It has also been part of the UNESCO World Heritage list, together with its grounds, since 1981. Boasting a first-rate architectural setting, the Château de Fontainebleau also holds one of the most important collections of antique furniture in France, and preserves an exceptional collection of paintings, sculptures and art objects, spanning from the 6th to the 19th century.