Fontainebleau Palace

The Palace of Fontainebleau is known as "the epitome of French history" and is included in the World Heritage List. It was originally a royal hunting palace and was expanded into an important palace in the French Renaissance. Later, many architects and artists participated in the reconstruction, so it left the imprint of the styles of various periods. Location Fontainebleau is a small town located about 55 kilometers southeast of Paris. It is one of the favorite weekend excursions of Parisians. The Palace of Fontainebleau is located here, surrounded by forests. The Fontainebleau Forest surrounding the palace was originally a royal hunting ground, and now it has become an outdoor sports base for bouldering enthusiasts. The bouldering season in October attracts many rock climbers from all over the world. The main building of the Palace of Fontainebleau includes a main tower, six palaces, five courtyards and four gardens. The main attractions in the palace are the ballroom, the conference hall, the chapel, the throne hall, the Diana fresco promenade, the François I promenade, the queen's bedroom, the Napoleon's living room, and the Pope's apartment. Napoleon loves yellow, and his wife Josephine prefers roses, so the overall colors of the interior decoration are mainly yellow and rose red. There are also four museums in the palace, namely the China Pavilion, the Napoleon I Pavilion, the Gallery, and the Home Pavilion. Among them, the Chinese Pavilion has a large collection of precious cultural relics from Yuanmingyuan, and displays thousands of art treasures such as ancient paintings, gold and jade jewelry, and sculptures of China's Ming and Qing Dynasties, but sometimes it is not open to visit. Among Western museums, the Palace of Fontainebleau is the collection and exhibition of Yuanmingyuan treasures. #White Horse Court# The White Horse Court is the main entrance to Fontainebleau. The horseshoe-shaped steps here are a scene of the Palace of Fontainebleau, where Napoleon gave his speech when he abdicated. #China Pavilion# Entering the building from the right side of the courtyard is the ticket office. Don't forget to lead the audio guide after purchasing the ticket. Then walk along this promenade and start to visit the Palace of Fontainebleau. There are stairs near the end, so don't rush upstairs, just keep going to the China Pavilion. If you can't find the location of the China Pavilion, you can ask the staff. The door of the China Pavilion is generally closed, and it needs to be closed after entering. There is a golden pagoda about 2 meters high in a prominent position in the museum. The whole body is inlaid with emeralds on every floor, which is basically similar to the existing golden pagoda in the Forbidden City in Beijing. There are also two precious gilt bells and other various Yuanmingyuan treasures. Except for weekends and holidays, the China Pavilion is closed earlier, so you can visit it in the morning. On March 1, 2015, 15 exhibits were stolen from the Palace of Fontainebleau, including the cloisonné unicorn and the golden manza in the old collection of Yuanmingyuan. #other treasures# Go upstairs from the China Pavilion, and you can continue to enjoy the Napoleon I Pavilion, the Throne Hall (Napoleon's throne is very small) and many other rooms. You can also see the François I promenade. The lower half is made of golden yellow fine wood carvings about 2 meters high as a retaining wall. Exquisite murals, the entire promenade is both brilliant and elegant. After visiting the main exhibition halls, go down to the first floor to the exit, where there is a souvenir shop, and you can go out to browse the courtyard and garden. In fact, you can also go back to the China Pavilion after a short walk from the exit, but there is only a hint to enter the courtyard. In addition to the indoor landscape, the courtyard of the Palace of Fontainebleau is also very characteristic. The decorative style of the combination of thin wood retaining walls, plaster reliefs and murals is very unique. In Diana's garden, there are flower beds and sculptures, as well as small and exquisite fountains. You can also roam freely in the large park green forest. There is a tea room in the scenic area of Fontainebleau Palace, and there are many restaurants in the town with moderate prices.