The French word "chateau", traditionally translated as a castle, actually has a much more extensive meaning. They are called palaces, manors, fortresses and even citadels. And in the old France of such kind of good, more than five thousand, to be precise. And as many as, alas, fell ashes of time. It is remarkable that each region of France has developed its own unique architectural style, but even within the same region each castle is unique and inimitable.

The most famous and popular tourist attractions of France are located in the Ile-de-France region, which includes Paris and its suburbs. It is here that the most famous Louvre, Versailles and Trianon, Rambouillet, Saint-Germain, Malmaison, Vaux-le-Vicomte and Fontainebleau are located.

Paris is a rich collection of castles. Here, on the right bank of the Seine, stands the ancient royal castle of Louvre, behind the scenes which became the symbol of France itself. The Louvre, the main residence of French kings, surpasses all museums of the world in attendance. And this is not surprising: the Louvre is famous as the world's richest museum. You can walk around this magnificent castle-museum for a day or even two, if you want to see the many thousands of works of art exhibited in the halls here. It is here that the great Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo live.

A special grace is the old royal castle and the Conciergerie prison, located in the heart of the capital near the Notre Dame Cathedral .In it, Queen Marie Antoinette spent her last days .In the southeastern suburb of Paris, the famous Vincennes Castle is located, gloomy not only with its harsh architecture, but also with its history, but around which a whole city was formed .And the magnificent Ekuan Castle not only embodies the architectural masterpiece of the Renaissance, but also houses the National Renaissance Museum with the richest collection of medieval works of art .

Of course, we can not fail to pay homage to the unique palace and park ensemble of Versailles, the most famous metropolitan suburb, a world-class tourist center with magnificent parks and gardens, the richest interiors and the atmosphere of aristocratic luxury .Ideas for the creation of an "ideal city", which tormented the minds of the Renaissance masters .To this day, the Palace of Versailles remains unsurpassed in its magnificence of the standard of grace and sophistication of European architecture .Located here is the magnificent palace and park ensemble of Trianon, built by Louis 14 to rest from the strictness of palace etiquette in the circle of a few approximate, admires no less than .

Other castles of the region are equally beautiful and interesting: Rambouillet Palace is the summer residence of French monarchs and presidents, still used for holding summits, Vo-le-Vicomte, formerly the favorite residence of Louis; Fontainebleau, the first palace in Europe without defensive fortifications, loved not only by Louis, but also by Napoleon; Malmaison, known as the residence of Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine Beauharnais, the Saint Germain Palace, now the Museum of National Archeology of France and many others.

Among connoisseurs of castles, another French region, the Loire, is most popular, thanks to its picturesque vineyards and exquisite castles. Most of them belong to the Renaissance, and therefore is distinguished by a particularly elegant design. In addition, in this region lived French kings and aristocratic families, so the expressiveness and luxury of the castles of the Loire is fully justified.

Among the most recognizable castles of the Loire is the Chambord Castle, to the creation of which, perhaps, was related to Leonardo da Vinci, who was at that time the court architect of King Francis I. And Leonardo lived and worked almost in the neighborhood - in the castle of Amboise. Within its walls was completed the famous masterpiece of the artist - the immortal "Gioconda."

The richness of interior decoration and, most importantly, the intactness of the original interiors distinguish Castle Cheverny, which, by the way, became the prototype of many cartoon palaces.

Among more than 300 "chateau" there are many more worthy of attention: Chenonceau with a huge collection of medieval furniture ,carpets ,tapestry ,Museum of wax figures and art gallery ,more famous as "The Castle of Beautiful Ladies" - Diane de Poitiers ,Ekaterina Medici ,Louise Dupin; The most ancient in France is Lange; hunting castle Brece ,built almost eight centuries (from 11th to 19th) and glorious with its underground fortress; huge Blois ,in which Catherine de Medici died; Villandry Castle ,the last of the great castles of the Renaissance, surrounded by wonderful stepped gardens and many others Certainly, the castles of the Loire personify the unmatched skill and taste of the Renaissance art directors !

The most beautiful region of France - Provence - is the Alps and the Côte d'Azur. It attracts tourists from all over the world not only by sea and mountain resorts, with a mild and pleasant climate, the scent of the sea and the proximity of the most picturesque mountains - there are also several impressive castles. The most famous of them - If and Tarascon - are familiar to us through the novels of Dumas and Dode, whose heroes touched the castle walls, sat in local dungeons and weave their destiny into the history of these beautiful buildings.

Noteworthy are the other magnificent castles of the region: the Neo-Gothic castle of Walroz, the elegant palace of Lascari, the beautifully preserved fortress of Fort Mont-Alban with amazing views of the sea and many other castles, palaces and fortresses, from the sight of which dizzy and dies of the heart, and remain in memory forever.