Tag Archives: Louvre

Chateau de Chantilly Castle Near Paris

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Chateau de Chantilly Castle is one of the most popular French monuments. This beautiful Castle is a prominent part of one of the largest forests near Paris. The estate spreads over 7,800 hectares and the castle has a park which is around 155 hectares in size. Since the Middle Ages from the late 1300’s to virtually the end of the 1800’s, the Chateau de Chantilly Castle and the whole estate has been owned, built up and modified by different owners. This French chateau was never sold as it was always in a process of being passed on by inheritance to generation after generation belonging to the same family.

Chantilly Castle Opens To The Public

However, when the Chantilly Castle and the estate came to Duc d’Aumale by inheritance, he had no one to pass it on as his sons were no more and so the place went to Institut de France. Now Chateau Chantilly, the Conde Museum that it houses, along with the Grandes Ecuries, which is home to the La Musée Vivant du Cheval and the Parks and Gardens are a place everyone can visit and enjoy.

Besides the interesting history associated with Chantilly Castle, the place is also renowned for housing one of the finest museums of historical paintings in France and is second only to The Louvre in Paris. Actually, it is the only museum in France not including The Louvre that has 3 Raphael paintings. The castle displays around 1,000 paintings, 2,500 drawings and 2,500 engravings. Also the Chateau Chantilly and the Conde Museum have a library full of rare books and precious manuscripts. There are around 30,000 books and about 1,500 manuscripts in this library.

The Glorious French Garden at Chantilly Castle

The French garden is spectacular with its magnificent fountains and ponds. It was designed by Andre Le Notre, who also designed the gardens at the Chateau de Versailles and is pleasant to walk around and admire! The Chateau’s chapel is dedicated to Saint Louis, where a prominent statue stands that dominates the exterior façade and was constructed in 1882 around the same spot where the old chapel stood before the French Revolution.

The Chateau de Chantilly is a captivating place but often overlooked in favour of places like the Chateau de Versailles. However, you can really enjoy a lot with family at Chateau de Chantilly and you can also book parties here. With so many treasures hidden inside it, the Condé Museum of the Chateau de Chantilly is a prestigious place to entertain and gala dinners can be held for up to 350 people. The Chateau de Chantilly also has a very large park including the French-style garden with fountains and ponds as mentioned above.

With so many attractions associated with it, Chateau de Chantilly is an inviting and mesmerizing place which you can’t miss visiting. Get aboard our France Cruise and visit the very picturesque Chateau de Chantilly Castle for a wonderful experience!

Louvre-Lens: A New Wing of the Louvre Opened December 2012

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An Exciting Addition to the Louvre

Louvre, a symbol of French culture and art, entered a new phase in its development with a brand new establishment in Lens. With its complete richness and diversity, Louvre-Lens museum officially opened its doors to its first visitors on December 12th, 2012. With the opening of the new Louvre-Lens, formerly a disused coalfield, not only do the most prestigious artworks in the collection will get a new lease on life, but the place where it stands also gets the attention of the public.

This brand new Louvre-Lens made with glass and light in a green setting looks stunning. Designed by the architects from the Japanese firm Sanaa, the transparency and reflection are the integral features of its design. It makes for a perfect setting for the exceptional works which constitute the Louvre’s permanent collection.

Three New Louvre Galleries

The Louvre-Lens hosts three main galleries: the Galerie du Temps, le Pavillon de Verre and La Galerie d’Exposition Temporaire. The Galeries du Temps is 120-meters long and is the master wing of the museum which exhibits masterpieces from the Paris Louvre over a five-year period, showcasing works in chronological and geographic order, initially focusing on the periods of the Antiquity, the Middle Ages and Modern art.

In the beginning, 205 works will be exhibited in this Louvre gallery over the next five years: 70 works for Antiquity, 45 works for the Middle Ages and 90 pieces for Modern Art. Le Pavillon de Verre (Glass Pavilion) is a continuation of the Galerie du Temps, where visitors can view artworks from neighboring museums in the region.

Finally, La Galerie d’Exposition Temporaire houses the museum’s two temporary exhibits per year. Until March 11, 2013, The Renaissance: Revolutions in the arts in Europe 1400-1530 is on display, featuring over 250 artworks that showcase the most innovative themes during this influential period. Among them, the incomplete work by Leonardo da Vinci, The Virgin and Child with St. Anne and the monumental wood carving by Albrecht Dürer, The Triumphal Arch of Maximilian, would be a part of the Louvre-Lens exhibition.

So get aboard our Seine River Cruise and make a visit to the marvelous Louvre museum!