Château de Chantilly

The Château de Chantilly stands on Rue du Connétable in Chantilly, in the Oise department about 40 kilometres north of Paris, set on an artificial lake beside a large park and forest. The domain consists of the Petit Château from the 16th century and the Grand Château, rebuilt in the 1870s by the Duke of Aumale, who bequeathed the whole estate and his art collection to the Institut de France. It houses the Musée Condé, which is among France's finest collections of old master paintings and manuscripts, with works by Raphael, Poussin, Ingres, Delacroix and Clouet, and the illuminated manuscript of the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, which is displayed as a facsimile for conservation. The library, one of the richest in France, and the Santuario room hung floor to ceiling with paintings, are highlights of the interior. Outside, the gardens combine the formal French layout by André Le Nôtre, with its Grand Canal and parterres, with an English garden and an Anglo-Chinese garden with a hamlet that inspired Marie Antoinette's at Versailles. The Grandes Écuries, the grand stables, house a horse museum and hold equestrian shows, and the town is a centre of French horse racing, with the Prix de Diane held in June. A visit takes three to five hours with the gardens. Crowds are heaviest on weekends and race days, and weekday mornings in spring are the calmest. The château is also known for its Chantilly cream, served in the Hameau restaurant in the park. The estate has been used as a filming location and stage for many events, and the stables are among the largest in Europe, built in the 18th century for the Prince of Condé to house up to 240 horses and a large pack of hounds. The town of Chantilly has cafés and shops near the station and forest, and the surrounding Chantilly forest offers walking and cycling routes for those extending the day.