The Chateau of Chambord in one of the loveliest Renaissance buildings in the Valley of the Loire. Chambord, château, park, and village in the department of Loire-et-Cher in central France. The château of Chambord was a retreat for French kings, especially Louis XIV  It was under his auspices that French dramatist Molière's Monsieur de Pourceaugnac and Le bourgeois Gentilhomme were first produced there. Building of the château was begun by Francis I in 1519, and was completed in 1547. Florentine artist Leonardo da Vinci paid a short visit to the building during its construction and added a few embellishments to it. The structure, containing 440 rooms,  365 fireplace, 13 great staircases, and stables to accommodate 1200 horses, stands in a park surrounded by a wall of 22 miles  in circumference.  1800 men worked on the chateau.The archives offers us no information as to the name of the architect but an analysis of the structure reveals a profound influence of Leonardo's  thought and a extremely close tie to some of the projects by Domenico da Cortona, and Italian architect. Te staircase is related to a project by Leonardo which consisted of four distinct superimposed flights of stairs, in order words, just as many stairs as quarters and arms of the cross of the castle. It is therefore likely that Leonardo da Vinci staircase, which may have been conceived for Chambord, was then simplified when it was built by the master masons of the building yard.The archives offer us no information as the name of the architect but there is  influence of Leonardo de Vinci and close tie to some of the projects by Domenico da Cartona , and Italian architect. The spiral staircase derives from a medieval concept. it goes far beyond it in its unique division into two separate flights with numerous openings on the arms of the corridors. A tribute to the former medieval French tradition is to be found in the presence of powerful cylindrical towers at the corners of the keep. The top of the stairs leads to the large terraces of the castle. After Francis I death in 1574 the castle was practically unused for about fifty years.After having passed through other hands, the chateau risked being demolished after the Revolution and in 1793 the furnishings were dispersed. In 1947 the State began restorations which were continued for 30 years.

Divinci's Stairwell
Monsieur Divinci, may I ask how you felt
Cavorting about with French Royalty?
A genius trapped in your everyday skin.
For you have painted mysterious vixens,
And concocted a device to cut out paper hearts,
Defied water and cheated the very air you breath
All because you had a flashing vision.
What was it like to set a muddy foot
Upon the unspoiled grounds of the Loire Valley
And design Chateaus that defy space and time.
I know you left your intricate handprints
Embedded in the foundations of Chambord.
While walking your double helix stairwell,
I could see your face spiraling on the other side
I could hear childish laughter emitting from the cracks
And history pouring out of lone gunshot wounds.
But to think you pointed your finger at this land
And saw it fit to be a golden palace,
Where golden geese could fly to rest their wings.
I stood atop the towers of Chambord
Praising miles of land where knights once tred
Watching the green stretch to kiss a river bank
Where I wished I could be a swan, just to have your wings.
But instead I was left to walk your stairs again
The very fabric your hand once drew.
And leave behind spires, stables and canopy beds
Just to know I walked a moment in your beaten shoes.

~Robyn Schwartz~ (10/24/01)