Sleeping Swan on the Pond – Chantilly Castle
Description:
Chateau Chantilly is one of my favorite castles in the Paris region.
This castle has its own special charm, it captures your attention as soon as you see it, as in that beautiful song: “And the white swan on the pond, rocks the fallen star...”
The castle was revived from the ruins thanks to a great intellectual and one of the last great aristocrats of the era of prosperity of France - the Duke of Omal, whose amazing fate I will tell you. Thanks to the Duke of Omal, who bequeathed it to the Academy of France, Chantilly Castle has one of the finest private collections of paintings worthy of the Louvre. In the collection of the Duke remained priceless paintings by Raphael, Pietro Di Cosimo, Ingras. The duke left a luxuriant library whose books are a national treasure of France.
The castle has historical apartments representing different eras, such as its heyday when it belonged to Prince Condé, a relative of French monarchs and a great warrior of his time.
The gardens of the castle are made by André Le Notre, the most famous garden master of Versailles. In the gardens it is very pleasant to walk and go to a cute “village” with its toy houses.
Prince Condé, being an admirer and patron of the arts, often invited venerable artists and writers to the castle, among whom were Racine, Boilo, La Fontaine and Madame Sevigny. There, in the castle of Chantilly, the very first performance of “Tartuf” by Molière, a frequent guest at Prince Condé, took place.
The seventh Prince of Condé, like all his ancestors, adored horses and even had a strange foreboding that in the afterlife he would become a horse and therefore in the XVIII century were built Grand stables, which later became the most famous in France. The most prestigious races for the Diana prize are held at the racecourse in Chantilly, so this small town is called the “capital of the horses”.
Chantilla Castle will also be interesting for gourmets. The whipped cream here is known throughout France. You can try them in the restaurant adjacent to the castle of the famous chef Vatel - the former majordom of Condé. In the restaurant, demonstrations of whipping cream in shantiyi cream are held
After visiting the castle, I suggest you see the Museum of the Living Horse in the former stables of the Princes of Condé. This is a fascinating story for adults and children, which ends with a beautiful performance featuring horses.