Chateau de Chenonceau

Chateau de Chenonceau is the toast of the Loire Valley. A 16th-century Renaissance palace, it arches over the Cher River and has large and magnificent gardens. It is one of the most-visited chateaus in France and is privately owned.

Nicknamed the 'chateau of the ladies', it housed many famous women over the centuries. In 1547, King Henry II gave it to his mistress, Diane de Poitiers. She enjoyed it until Henry II died and his wife, Catherine de Medici, kicked her out.

The chateau and the Cher River played an important role in WWII. The river divided France into German controlled territory and that controlled by the French Vichy government that collaborated with the Germans. The chateau was a bridge between the two zones and controlled by a German checkpoint.Read more