Paris Excursions
Fontainbleau
Fontainebleau
In the 16th century, Henry II and Catherine de Medici
commissioned architects Philibert Delorme and Jean Bullant to build
a new palace here within the Fontainebleau forest 40 miles (64km)
south of Paris. Italian Mannerist artists Rosso Fiorentino and
Primaticcio came to assist in the interior decoration, helping to
found the School of Fontainebleau. Visitors will see the long
Gallery of François I, which the artists adorned with scenes
like
The Rape of Europa and the monarch holding a
pomegranate, a symbol of unity, as well as the richly adorned Louis
XV Staircase and the Ballroom with its monumental fireplace and
frescoes. The palace was a refuge for French monarchs from the days
of the Renaissance; they valued it because of its distance from the
slums of Paris and for the rich hunting grounds that surrounded it.
Many important events have occurred here, perhaps none more
memorable than when Napoleon stood on the grand steps in front of
the palace and bade farewell to his shattered army before departing
for Elba. Compared to the glories of Versailles, however,
Fontainebleau can be a bit of an anticlimax; it is best to see it
before Versailles.
Address: 4 Rue Royale;
E-mail: info@fontainebleau-tourisme.com;
Website: www.fontainebleau.fr;
Telephone: (0)1 6074 9999;
Opening time: Daily except Tuesdays 9.30am to 6pm (until 5pm from October to May);
Admission: €5.50, free for under 18s
