Fontainbleau is one of the oldest royal residences. A luxurious palace appeared in Fontainbleau in the XVIth century. Before that the kings went hunting to the forest, situated to the South from Paris. Fontainbleau is in 60 kilometers from Paris, among a giant picturesque forest, it became the favourite residence of French kings. In 1169 Louis VII founded here an abbey that was sanctified by Thomas Becket. The medieval tower of the abbey has been preserved till nowadays.
The real bloom of Fontainbleau happened in XVIth century during the reign of Francis I. Initially planned as hunters' residence, the castle was completely reconstructed and it can hardly be attributed to any certain architectural style. Here the famous architects, sculptors, painters, gardeners have worked. Francis I gathered here a wonderful collection of antiquities, pictures, Greek and Latin manuscripts. Henry II, Henry IV, Louis XIII, and Louis XIV – the famous "Sun King" have left a bright impression in the history of the castle. The most important events in the life of Napoleon Bonaparte also took place here.
The yard of the White Horse received its name because of the plaster equestrian statue of Mark Aurelius from the Capitoline hill in Rome, which was placed here by Charles IX. A horseshoe-shaped stairway, created by the architect Jean du Sarsau in the year 1634 leads to the central building of the court.
The oldest one in the palace ensemble is the the Oval Court. It had already existed during the reign of Saint Louis. Here the Golden gates and the clock of Francis I period that is established on one of the buildings, have been preserved. In the center of the romantic garden of Diana is the bronze fountain, portraying this goddess.
Two floors of the palace are open for visiting. On the first floor there are placed the Small apartments, the Salon and the Chinese museum of the empress Eugenie. On the second floor there are the Big apartments and the halls of the Renaissance period, the apartments and the museum of Napoleon Bonaparte, where the most complete collection of the emperor's personal things is presented – up to his toothbrush, slippers, state presents, and so on... The visitors of the emperor's apartments usually get surprised with his rich bed with bed curtains – it's so short that it is impossible to lie down on it. It's not because of Napoleon's short height, but because at that time people slept sitting – it was considered good for health.
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