Past and future, Chambord 1519-2019: a utopia in the making

The most majestic of the Loire châteaux is celebrating its 500th anniversary with opulence and originality. While paying homage to its historical and cultural dimension, it is showcasing a dual exhibition—both retrospective and prospective— linking yesterday and today under the auspices of utopia and an ideal architecture, with the exceptional backing of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France.

Utopia at work, in Chambord

To its patrimony, the exhibition adds 18 projects emanating from leading universities around the globe, and reinvents for the occasion this royal symbol of the 16th century in order to adapt it to 21st century technology. Stemming from photos, maps, 3D surveys, computer-aided images but also visits and on-site stays, new edifices have been imagined in a more or less immediate future.

Under the clever hands of researchers, the château with 1 000 towers has offered itself a high-tech 3D envelope. © DR

This virtual gallery enables to showcase works that are sometimes stored in the domain's warehouses. © DR

A customized imaginary château

This artistic fiction is a way to learn more about François 1er, the builder king of the Renaissance, who was behind the largest architectural project of his reign, with a customisation rewarded by a jury composed of artists, architects and members of a scientific commitee. Careful, you have until the 1st of September 2019 to visit Chambord, and dream it the way you might have built it…

Featuring imaginary grandstands, the facade of the château becomes interactive during the sound and light spectacle. © DR