Chambord occupies a special place among French Renaissance chateaux. Designed by Francis I as a hunting lodge for his friends and family and subsequently transformed into an immense residence, Chambord is an astonishingly bold architectural creation. To mark the 500th anniversary of this prestigious piece of French heritage, Jean-Michel Turpin invites us into the chateau, and especially into lesser-known and mysterious wings of Chambord, and throughout its beautiful grounds in the Loire Valley.

The story spans five centuries and is illustrated by archival and contemporary photographs, many never before published.