From the 15th to the 18th century, the Loire Valley was the playground of French nobility, who used the nation's wealth to transform the area with a multitude of earnestly extravagant chateaux. Today they are magnificent remnants of a belle epoch period adding a fairy tale appearance to this lovely countryside. The most lavish chateau in the Loire Valley is the Château de Chambord, begun in 1519 by King François I, a blatant lunatic who died before its completion. Both the interior and exterior are magnificently preserved.

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