Château d'Azay-le-Rideau

A small island in the Indre river hides an extremely elegant castle. Azay-le-Rideau is one of the most famous castle of the Loire Valley. It is a castle people like to visit. The story started in the early 12th century when a first castle was built then burnt down in 1418 by Charles VII, during the Hundred Years’ War.

A century later, under Francois I reign, Gilles Berthelot, treasurer of the King, undertook the reconstruction of the building mixing Italian Renaissance and French style. The centrepiece of the Château d’Azay-le-Rideau is the majestic staircase, ornate with luxuriant sculpted decorations. The drawing rooms and the appartments were redecorated in the 19th century in a neo-Renaissance style.

Bought buy the State in 1905, the Chateau d’Azay-le-Rideau was listed as a French historical monument the same year. Today, the monument goes hand in hand with the museum, and the rich tapestries and furniture combined to the beauty of the park which surrounds the castle create a unique atmosphere that Balzac and Rodin used to like.