Château de Chambord

Chateau de Chambord or Chateau de Chambord is one of the castles of the Loire. Built by order of Francis I, who wanted to be closer to his beloved lady, Countess Turi, who lived nearby.
Chambord is one of the most recognizable castles in France, an architectural masterpiece of the Renaissance . The facade is 156 m long, 117 m wide, the castle has 426 rooms, 77 staircases, 282 fireplaces and 800 sculpturally decorated capitals .
The name of the architect is unknown, but research proves the participation in the project of Leonardo da Vinci , who was at that time an architect at the court of King Francis I , but died a few months before the start of construction, as well as the participation of Domenico da Cortona, nicknamed Boccador .
The castle's plan is drawn around a central structure called the " donjon " because, although it was never intended to repel attacks, it was built on the model of fortified castles of the Middle Ages . Inside the donjon there are 5 residential floors. Each floor has 4 square and 4 round rooms; four corridors between the rooms, as if from the four cardinal directions, lead to a double staircase in the center. King Francis I subsequently expanded the castle and lived in larger premises in the eastern wing. A chapel was built in the west wing , completed by Jean le Humble . This arrangement of the chapel and royal chambers was unusual for that time: by placing himself in the direction of Jerusalem , the king wanted to show himself as the ruler of spiritual power in his kingdom.
It was rumored that Francis I and his friend Jean le Gumble even wanted to change the course of the Loire so that it flowed directly in front of the castle, but abandoned this idea.
The double, two-way spiral staircase in the very center of the castle more than perfectly conveys the creative style of Leonardo da Vinci. Double-entry - from two staircases in a spiral , turning in the same direction, but never intersecting, so that those descending could avoid meeting those who were ascending to meet them, and vice versa. This monumental, carved staircase leads to a large terrace, also designed by Leonardo, to admire the chimneys and roof capitals and to walk around the perimeter of the keep. A lighthouse tower rises above the stairs, visible inside the building from the lower floors. It rises above all chimneys, reaching a height of 32 m; at the very top is not the usual cross, but a royal lily .
The second floor is also notable for its vaults, decorated with the king's emblem (a monogram F surmounted by a crown and a salamander ) accompanied by a knotted cord - the emblem of his mother, Louise of Savoy . Some of the staircase monograms at the terrace level are made upside down, “ so that God can see the royal power from the heights of heaven ”!