Chateau de Chambord
Located in Chambord, Loir-et-Cher, France, Chateau de Chambord is one of the most recognizable châteaux in the world.
Considered as the largest château in the Loire Valley, Chambord was built to serve as a hunting lodge for Francis I.
Though construction was repeatedly halted by financial problems, design setbacks and military commitments, the construction of Chambord completed in 28 years (1519–1547).
One of the crowning examples of French Renaissance architecture, Chateau de Chambord has always been in a conspiracy regarding who designed it.
For more than 80 years after the death of King Francis I, French kings abandoned the château, allowing it to fall into decay. Finally, in 1639 King Louis XIII gave it to his brother, Gaston d'Orléans, who saved the château from ruin by carrying out much restoration work.