Chambord, the largest of the Loire castles, stands in the heart of a game-filled forest estate. Built for Francis the First, this fairytale palace has 440 rooms and 365 towers and chimneys. Extravagant from both a construction and cost standpoint, the castle echoes to the sound of kings and famous people (Molière gave the first performance of the “Bourgeois Gentilhomme” here, attended by Louis XIV). More than a marvel of architecture, Chambord symbolises the start of an era of art and magnificence and heralded the forthcoming power of the Absolute Monarchy.