Chateau de Chaumont-sur-Loire

Catherine de Medici owned Chaumont and, the story goes, forced Diane de Poitiers to take it in exchange for Chenonceau after Henry II died; Diane did not stay long. The chateau is a compact fortress-shaped building with a good view over the Loire, and its stables, built in 1877, were among the most luxurious in Europe. What makes Chaumont distinct now is the International Garden Festival, held every year since 1992: around thirty designers are each given a hedged plot and a theme, and the results range from serious horticulture to installation art. Contemporary art commissions are placed through the park and the chateau rooms.

History

The name Chaumont comes from chauve mont, "bald hill". Odo I, Count of Blois, built the first castle here in the 10th century against his rival Fulk Nerra of Anjou, and through the marriage of Denise de Fougère to Sulpice d'Amboise it passed to the Amboise family for five centuries. After Pierre d'Amboise rebelled against Louis XI the castle was dismantled in 1465, then rebuilt by Charles I d'Amboise from 1465 to 1475 and finished by his son Charles II from 1498 to 1510. Catherine de Medici bought it in 1550 and entertained astrologers here, Nostradamus among them, and after Henry II's death in 1559 she forced Diane de Poitiers to take it in exchange for Chenonceau. It changed hands many times, a buyer in the 18th century demolishing the north wing to open the view to the river, Jacques-Donatien Le Ray setting up glass and pottery works here from 1750, and Madame de Staël acquiring it in 1810; the Comte d'Aramon restored it from 1833, and in 1938 it passed to the state (Wikipedia, Château de Chaumont).

What you'll find

• The garden festival - about thirty experimental plots renewed each year.
• The chateau - a compact fortress silhouette above the river.
• The luxury stables - the 1877 horse quarters with fitted stalls.
• The art commissions - contemporary installations through park and rooms.

When to go

The festival runs roughly late April to early November and is the main reason to visit; it looks best from June once planting has filled out. The chateau and park open year-round.

Good to know

Festival gardens are small plots and quality varies year to year, with some conceptual rather than horticultural. The site is large and hilly with a good deal of walking. Full-price tickets in festival season are not cheap.

Nearby

Blois lies northeast; Amboise is southwest.