Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In 1547, King Henry II gave the château to his mistress, Diane de Poitiers, who
added an arched bridge across the river to access the hunting grounds. She enjoyed her
lovely retreat until Henry II died (pierced in a jousting tournament in Paris); his vengeful
wife, Catherine de Médicis, unceremoniously kicked Diane out (and into the château of
Chaumont,describedon
here
).Catherineaddedthethree-storystructureonDiane'sbridge.
She died before completing her vision of a matching château on the far side of the river,
but not before turning Chenonceau into
the
place to see and be seen by the local aristo-
cracy. (Whenever you see a split coat of arms, it belongs to a woman—half her husband's
and half her father's.)
Self-Guided Tour:
Strut like an aristocrat down the tree-canopied path to the
château. (There's a fun plant maze partway up on the left.) You'll cross three moats and
two bridges, and pass an old round tower, which predates the main building. Notice the
tower's fine limestone veneer, added so the top would better fit the new château.
The main château's original
oak door
greets you with the coats of arms of the first
owners. The knocker ishighenoughtobeused byvisitors onhorseback. The smaller door
