Chateau Cheverny has been in the same family-the Huraults (a family of financiers and officers) from the 14th century. In 1922, the Huraults family opened the castle to the public, but the descendants of the Huraults, the Marquis and the Marquise, still lived in the castle. Cheverny Castle is one of the few castles where the aristocratic Earl lived here. When you are Visiting this castle, you can truly feel the life of the noble Earl of France.
The famous south façade of Cheverny is decorated with sculpted Roman style busts which has been fashinonable since the Renaissance. Inspired by the Luxemburg Palace in Paris the overall plan of Cheverny was very popular at the time it was constructed, with its large corner pavilions topped with domes and a décor of stones carved in horizontal lines (known as bosses). This design was to become typical of classic French architecture. This castle, built since the 16th century, used stone from Bourré to build the castle. This soft-colored stone comes from the Chey Valley and becomes light and hard with age. Cheverny is the most luxuriously decorated castle in the Loire Valley castles, has an interior design that is ingenious.
The Arms room, which was transformed from the largest room in the castle in the 19th century, showed a marked taste for romanticism and chivalry.
The wife of the current owner of the castle wore the dress when she got married in 1994.
The tableware on the table is specially made for the Huraults family. It is called "The Autumn of Cheverny" and there is a crystal deer head in the center.
The architectural style of the garden combines the characteristics of English garden and French garden. There are more than 15,000 plants of the bulbshere. The design of the garden is very modern in architecture.
The manicured lawn are the link between the English garden and the forest park. Walking surrounded by greens will refresh your mind, bringing the most peaceful moment ever.
There are 2,000 hectares of huge forest parks around the Castle of Cheverny. You can choose to take the electric sight-seeing cars and cruises to visit the forest park, accompanyed with the French and English guides to visitors. If you are lucky, Deer will also be seen in the forest.
There are not only white swans, but also black swans in the lake of the castle. It looks very unique. When the weather is good, you can see dozens of swans playing in the lake. There is a special picnic area near the lake for tourists. You can take your family and have a picnic at the lake in your leisure time.
One of the most important comic artists in the world , Hergé (Brussels), created of Tintin in 1929. '"The Adventures of Tintin" tells the story of Tintin, the young reporter pursues a buried treasure and upholds justice with his friends around the world. Tintin’s story aroused wide interests of people at that time, and "The Adventures of Tintin" became one of the most popular European comics of the 20th century. If you are a fan of "The Adventures of Tintin", you will probably feel that everything in the castle is very kind.
Hergé used the Chateau de Cheverny as a model for Marlinspike Hall (also put the French name “Château de Moulinsart'', which attractrs a lof of Tintin Fans to come here. In the process of visiting the castle, the character of Tintin can be seen everywhere. The castle has an exhibition with the theme of "Les secrets de Moulinsart" all the year. Whether you have seen the adventures of Tintin, this exhibition is worth visiting.There are some models of the same size as the reals objects, showing the story that happened in the comics. When you enter this interactive museum, you will feel like starting an adventure with Tintin.
Cheverny is also a good place for hunting. There are more than hundred tricolor anglo-french dogs in Cheverny. They are from a cross of English Fox hound. More than hundred hunting dogs live at Cheverny and you can go and visit them all day long. Between April 1st and September 14th the dogs are fed every day at 11.30am. From September 15th till March 31st the dogs are fed at 11.30am, but only on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Words and Photographs by Yi ZHAO
Adress : Château de Cheverny, Avenue du Château, 41700 CHEVERNY - FRANCE
Transportation :
1) By car
Motorway A10, Paris - Bordeaux. Exit n°17 Blois, 190 km / 118 miles. About 20 minutes from the motorway exit. Direction Romorantin – Lanthenay – Vierzon
Major road RN 152, Paris - Orléans - Blois, 180km / 112 miles.
2) By train
From Paris Austerlitz station to Blois-Chambord train station (Takes 1 hour 40 minutes)
From Paris Montparnasse station to Vendôme train station (duration 42min). Vendôme - Blois : 30km
+ Round-trip bus is available from Blois station at 6 euros. (Click here for the schedule)
Opening Hours：Open all year around including December 25th, January 1st, and May 1st
April 1st - September 30th : 9:15-19:00 / October 1st - March 31st : 10:00-17:30 / Ticket office closes 30 minutes before the closing time