Chateau du Chambord
The Chateaux in the Loire that belonged to the royals were essentially second homes in some of the best hunting grounds in France. They were visual symbols of power and wealth. On the whole, owners visited them infrequently, taking their possessions with them. Unlike today when second home owners furnish their properties, in those days people carried their belonging from home to home. Beds, chairs, cutlery, dishes, tapestries etc were expensive and even the royal family rarely decked out their chateaux with permanent collections.
Take the Chateau de Chambord which was built by Francis 1, the flamboyant King of France in 1519. The chateau was said to be inspired by Leonardo da Vinci (who died that year). It was one of the wonders of its time, making other royal families in Europe jealous. Immense, architecturally stunning with that double helix staircase. It cost a fortune. And yet Francis spent only 60 days there in total.
The chateau has 400 fires and on chilly days some are lit. It's lovely to see the
Photo: @Toinou1375
Chateau de Chambord