Palace and Park of Fontainebleau

The house of the centuries

The Palace of Fontainebleau stands near the town of the same name, about 60 kilometres south-east of Paris. A royal residence from François I, who made it his favourite home, down to Napoleon III, it bears the imprint of eight centuries of French rulers — which led Napoleon I to call it the 'house of the centuries'. It has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage List, together with its park, since 1981.

From hunting lodge to Renaissance palace

A castle at Fontainebleau is first mentioned in 1137, probably a modest fortified hunting lodge; a square keep from that era survives in the Oval Court. In the 16th century François I razed most of the medieval building and summoned Italian artists to create what he intended as a 'new Rome'. Their work gave rise to the School of Fontainebleau, the richest period of Renaissance art in France, whose influence on French painting lasted well into the 17th century.

A meeting of French and Italian art

Surrounded by a vast park and bordered by the forest of Fontainebleau, the palace combines medieval, Renaissance and classical elements, expressing the encounter of Italian art with French tradition in both its architecture and its interiors. Successive kings continued to build and decorate it, and the last major works were carried out in the 19th century.

Collections

Beyond its architecture, Fontainebleau holds one of France's most important collections of antique furniture, along with an exceptional array of paintings, sculptures and objets d'art spanning from the 6th to the 19th century.

• Location: Fontainebleau, c. 60 km south-east of Paris, France

• Origins: First recorded 1137; rebuilt as a Renaissance palace from 1528 under François I

• Legacy: Birthplace of the School of Fontainebleau; residence to Napoleon III

• Status: UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981; classified historic monument

• Visiting: Museum palace with grand apartments, park and gardens open to visitors