The Château de Chambord was conceived as a hunting lodge for François I (1494-1547). Its construction was divided into two parts: the first began in 1519 and ended in 1538; while the second began at the end of the same year and lasted until 1550, incorporating extensions, design adjustments and the successive participation of different master builders (Lesueur, 1951). The project was organized around an imposing square donjon with four circular towers at the corners and a double helix staircase located in the center (Bryant, Ponsot, Hofbauer and Caillou, 2006).
After the death of the monarch in 1547, work continued under Henry II, who completed the chapel wing, finished around 1556. Subsequently Gaston d'Orleans undertook some restorations in the 17th century. However, it was during the reign of Louis XIV that the château regained prominence, especially during the stays of the king and his court.
During the Second World War, the Château de Chambord housed the works of the main Parisian museums, such as La Gioconda, the Victory of Samothrace or the tapestries of the Royal Manufacture of the Savonnerie. Chambord was listed as a Historic Monument in 1840 and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981.