Spread over 7800 hectares, the Château de Chantilly is peppered with historical monuments, prestigious sporting venues and natural landscapes, each proudly parading an illustrious history, imposing architecture, opulent splendour. This magical setting is ideal for quality private and business functions. The Great Stables and his Horse Musee can hold up to 600 people under the stunning 28m-high dome.
Four names have been associated with the Château de Chantilly over the centuries: d’Orgemont, Montmorency, Condé and Aumale. This cast of illustrious families and individuals fashioned the site and its architecture, allowing it to survive the ravages of time and war.
Louis XV, Frederick of Prussia and the future Tsar Paul I once dined under the 28m-high dome. At that time, the Grand Stables at Chantilly could house 240 horses and the 500 hounds for the hunts organised on the estate.
Designed by architect Jean Aubert, the Grand Stables took more than twenty years – from 1719 to 1740 – to construct such a monumental edifice, hailed as the finest stables in the world. The building currently houses the Living Horse Museum – a fitting tribute to this outstanding historical and natural heritage.
Built in the early 17th century, the Maison de Sylvie owes its name to the Duchess of Montmorency, known as “Sylvie” by the poet Théophile de Viau, who found refuge and protection here for several years while he was condemned to the stake.
In the 16th century, the sport of “jeu de paume”, also known as real tennis, was in its heyday, proving hugely popular with royalty and commoners alike. But it wasn’t until 1757 that Louis Joseph de Bourbon, one of the top fifty amateur players, commissioned the construction of the Chantilly Jeu de Paume, one of the last princely jeu de paume facilities to be built. The sculpted decorations on the façade were the work of silversmith Cousinet. An attractive terrace was added two years later.
It is said to have served as inspiration for Marie-Antoinette’s magnificent Hameau (meaning “hamlet”) in the Petit Trianon Gardens at Versailles. In 1774, the Prince de Condé commissioned the building of a series of seven thatched cottages in the highly fashionable Anglo-Chinese Garden at Chantilly. These may have been rustic in appearance but they were the height of elegance inside, a luxury hinted at by the generous pink drapes and the profusion of plants depicted in engravings of the time.
The first tracks were marked out in 1834. The stands were gradually enlarged to accommodate changing fashions and requirements, and they can now house some 40,000 visitors. Stretching out at the foot of the Grand Stables in the Château de Chantilly, the racecourse rolls out its lush green carpet for devoted enthusiasts and one-off visitors alike.
