Fontainebleau Castle

The Royal Castle of Fontainebleau (Château Royale de Fontainebleau), built in the Renaissance style, houses the famous and remarkable White Horse Court also called Farewell Court, to commemorate the departure of Napoleon to Elba in April 20, 1814. The site consists of a large park near the forest of Fontainebleau, listed as World Heritage Site by Unesco.

The estate was built in the twelfth century. The castle and its surroundings were attended by several kings of France and is a particularly remarkable historical heritage.

In the beginning, it was a medieval enclosure. The castle transformed gradually into a palace. Francis I emotionally attached to the Palace of Fontainebleau, it ordered the work. The Château de Fontainebleau summarizes the French architecture from the twelfth to the nineteenth century.

The famous horseshoe shaped staircase is a work of the reign of Louis XIII, made by Jean Androuet du Cerceau, inspired by a model of the Renaissance, is the symbol of the castle.

The Renaissance rooms, unique in France, have kept their amazing decor frescoes and stucco, designed by Italian artists (Rosso and Primaticcio) under the reigns of Francis I and Henry II.
The castle contains one of the largest collections of old French furniture, paintings, sculptures and art objects dating between the sixth and the nineteenth century.

The White Horse Court, also known as the Farewell Court or Courtyard, is an old farmyard transformed into a service yard and into a parade court. Its name comes from the representation of plaster from the splendid equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius erected in the Capitol. Nowadays this statue does not exist anymore and a slab still represents its old location in the center aisle. Originally, the White Horse Court was closed by four wings of the castle, with a west wing called Wing of Ferrara that was destroyed and replaced by a grid of honor provided with Napoleonic ornaments presenting a gold-wrought eagle.

Address: 77300 Fontainebleau

Hours:
The castle is open daily except Tuesdays, 1 January , 1 May and 25 December
From October to March : 9h30am-5pm
From April to September : 9h30am-6pm

Bontourism®, the Art of Traveling to the Fontainebleau Castle​