Palace of Fontainebleau

A royal château in Fontainebleau, Seine-et-Marne, southeast of Paris. Used by French monarchs from Francis I to Napoleon III, it was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1981.

The Palace of Fontainebleau lies in the town of Fontainebleau, about 55 km southeast of the centre of Paris, beside the great Forest of Fontainebleau. It began as a hunting lodge and autumn residence, and monarchs from Louis VII and Francis I to Napoleon I and Napoleon III gradually turned it into a true palace filled with art.

Francis I invited Italian artists to work here, giving rise to the School of Fontainebleau, a high point of Renaissance art in France. Its buildings combine medieval, Renaissance and classical styles, and Napoleon I called it “the house of the centuries”. It became a national museum in 1927 and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981.