The castle was a royal residence since the 13th century. The main reconstruction of the castle was carried out under Francis I in the XVI century, but the older donjon (donjon – tower) and the courtyard, where Louis XIII was later baptized, have been preserved.
Fontainebleau is an endless succession of unique 16th- and 19th-century interiors. Here is a huge ballroom where Mary Stuart, Diana de Poitiers, Henry II danced… Next to it is the apartment of Madame de Maintenon, the lover and then wife of Louis XIV. Next – the room where Louis XIII was born, next door – the gallery where the crowned persons, starting with Catherine de Medici and including Peter the Great, strolled….
The throne room, the royal bedrooms, the Hall of the Council of State, the church where Louis XV and Maria Leszczynska were married, where the future Napoleon III received Holy Communion…
And next to it – Napoleon Bonaparte’s apartments, where he abdicated and was arrested….
The palace is surrounded by several parks – majestic and intimate …
Around Fontainebleau is a powerful forest where kings have long hunted and where witches gathered in the Middle Ages. It was in this forest, at the crossroads of roads Napoleon went to meet the Pope, who came to crown the future emperor.
The castle is located 60 kilometers southeast of Paris. It is one of the four most majestic and powerful castle-palaces of France and the Paris region.
