Chantilly

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The princely domain of Chantilly has a unique history, passing through the same family, the cousins of the Kings of France, from the 14th century until 1897. Its first period of greatness came during the Renaissance, when the Connétable (Constable) de Montmorency replaced the ancient medieval fortress with the twin châteaux on the lake, the Grand Château and the Petit Château (also known as the Capitainerie ). His grandson, Henri II de Montmorency, lost the domain – and his head – when he was caught conspiring against Louis XIII in 1632. The king confiscated Chantilly and used it for his own private hunting excursions. It was returned to the family eleven years later, during the regency of the young Louis XIV, and passed on to Henri’s nephew, Louis II de Bourbon (known as the Grand Condé) in 1660. He had Le Nôtre design the château’s formal gardens and Grand Canal that became the centerpiece for his elaborate festivals. A great patron of the arts and literature, the Grand Condé entertained some of the 17th century’s leading writers and philosophers at Chantilly.

SEE THE FILM Get an idea of 17th-century Chantilly in the 2000 film Vatel, starring Uma Thurman and Gerard Depardieu, a historical epic based on the elaborate party and feast that the Prince of Condé threw for King Louis XIV at the Château de Chantilly in 1671.

The domain was eventually inherited by his grandson, Louis-Henri de Bourbon (the 7th Prince of Condé). Louis-Henri believed he would be reincarnated as a horse, so he had the architect Jean Aubert build the magnificent Grandes Ecuries, a masterpiece of 18th-century architecture housing 240 horses and 500 hunting dogs in proper princely style. He also redecorated the apartments of the Petit Château, created Chantilly’s famous porcelain factory, and imposed the town’s first building codes defining acceptable architectural style. His son Louis-Joseph de Condé had the Château d’Enghien built in 1769 as overflow guest quarters, and added a rustic Hamlet to the Château Park, which inspired Marie Antoinette to build her own Hameau in Versailles. He emigrated at the outbreak of the Revolution to form a Loyalist army, after which the Grand Château was pillaged, turned into a prison, and eventually razed. The Grandes Ecuries, occupied by the army, were spared this grim ending.

When Louis-Henri returned to Chantilly during the Restoration in 1815, he managed to recover many of the artworks (which had been transferred to the Louvre) and had the apartments of the Petit Château completely restored. His heir, the Duc d’Enghien, had been executed by Napoleon in 1804 for organizing a royalist uprising, so in 1830 the domain was left to his grand-nephew, Henri d’Orléans, Duc d’Aumale (son of the last French king, Louis-Philippe). He breathed new life and prestige into Chantilly with the creation of the Hippodrome, one of the finest horse racing tracks in Europe, but was forced to leave during the Revolution of 1848, spending the duration of the Second Empire in England. The Duc d’Aumale returned to Chantilly in 1870, widowed and without an heir after the deaths of his two sons. He decided to rebuild the Grand Château as a showcase for the prized art collection amassed during his years in exile. Upon his death in 1886, the Duc d’Aumale donated the entire Domaine de Chantilly to the Institut de France – including the Grandes Ecuries, the hippodrome and the 15, 000-acre forest – on the condition that the château be opened to the public as the Musée Condé, and that none of the artworks would be moved around or loaned to other museums.

Chantilly continues to flourish today by making the most of its three inherited treasures. On the artistic and cultural front is the Château de Chantilly, with one of the most important art collections in France and its elegantly restored park and Le Nôtre gardens. Its equestrian heritage includes the historic Hippodrome de Chantilly, which plays a leading role in the prestigious world of horse racing, and the renovated Grandes Ecuries, which have been transformed into a living horse museum, the Musée Vivant du Cheval. The third treasure is the 15, 000-acre Forêt de Chantilly, providing a scenic backdrop to the town and over 100 miles of hiking and equestrian trails.

PARLEZ-VOUS ANGLAIS? Don’t be surprised to hear English spoken around town. The British arrived in Chantilly when the Hippodrome opened in 1834 to offer their expert services. Today the horse training center employs over 1, 000 stable boys (even the French refer to them as “lads”).

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