70 kilometers from Paris, there is a magnificent palace with incredibly beautiful interiors, paintings, sculptures and furniture, and a beautiful regular park. And, at the same time, it is an incredibly cool historical place. The first mention of Fontainebleau Castle dates back to the 12th century, and in the 16th century it was rebuilt by Francis I in the Renaissance style. French kings from Louis VII to Napoleon III lived here, four of them were born in the palace — Philippe IV the Handsome, Francis II of Valois, Henry III of Valois and Louis XIII. Fontainebleau is inextricably linked with Napoleon Bonaparte, who abdicated here in 1814, and twice. The first time, under pressure from the marshals in favor of his son, and two days later, under pressure from his allies in the anti-French coalition, he abdicated both for himself and for his descendants. That's the story. By the way, one of the courtyards of the palace, in which Napoleon said goodbye to his guards, was named "The Courtyard of Farewells" (La cour des adieux). Romantic.. There is an alley of trees from different countries in the garden behind the palace. I saw our native Karelian birch there.
Despite the late autumn, I also enjoyed walking through all the parks of the palace complex – Le jardin Anglais, Le Grand Parterre and Le jardin de Diane, through all its five courtyards and a significant part of the 1,500 rooms, including the Francis I Gallery, St. Louis Hall or the Donjon salon (donjon, by the way, the oldest building of the palace, the first mention of which dates back to 1137), the chambers of Anne of Austria, the Throne Room decorated with a portrait of Louis XIII, the ballroom where Cardinal Richelieu was proclaimed a knight of the Order of the Holy Spirit, the council hall, the salon of abdication, where on April 6, 1814 Emperor Napoleon I signed his abdication, and, of course, the guards' hall, where Lieutenant Commander of Louis XIV's Musketeers Charles de Batz-Castelmor d'Artagnan carried out his difficult service... The overall impression is great!
The Fontainebleau Palace is a magnificent work of art. But not everyone likes the fact that this place is associated with the last days of the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte. But this is history.