The Château de Chantilly is the symbol of French excellence in architecture. Located 50 km north of Paris, the building has been at the top of the most beautiful buildings in France for a millennium. A jewel of heritage, it attracts more than 500,000 curious people every year!

The castle is one of the most splendid in our country, and covers more than 10,000 m2. Surrounded by an equally gigantic park: 215 hectares, one of the most beautiful creations of the genius landscape architect André Le Nôtre. The large parterre of Chantilly, in area, is the equivalent of six football fields. An area with twelve kilometers of perspective! The greatest prospect in France still today. One of the wonders of Chantilly are also the stables: 20 years of effort will be necessary to build the largest princely stables in Europe!

From foundations on stilts to the symmetries of French gardens and the creation of a titanic dome, how did the builders achieve the impossible? What revolutionary techniques did André Le Nôtre use to allow Chantilly to overtake Versailles? What are the technical and architectural feats hidden in this extraordinary area? How has Chantilly, demolished several times, survived the centuries?

00:00 🏰 Château de Chantilly is a monumental castle with a rich history of construction and destruction.
12:38🏰 Builders are building a small castle on water using the same method as Venice, and they're sourcing a new type of stone from underground quarries.
25:55 💦 André Le Nôtre, the landscape architect, had to face difficulties in implementing his projects in Chantilly due to his rivalry with Versailles.
38:48 🏰 The construction of the Great Stables required the extraction of 50,000 blocks of stone and the use of innovative techniques like chimneys and pulley systems.

Director: François Tribolet