RAMBOUILLET
DEPARTMENT: YVELINES (78)
REGION: ÎLE DE FRANCE

PLAYGROUND FOR KINGS

The town of Rambouillet lies on the edge of the vast Forest of Rambouillet, and is famous for its historical castle, the Château de Rambouillet, which has hosted a number of international summits. Its proximity to Paris and Versailles, has meant that Rambouillet has long been an occasional seat of government.

Rambouillet, just 50km/31miles from Paris, is little more than 200 years old. The traditional centre has retained the shape of the street village built along the Orléans Road, which became the Chartres Road in the 18th century. In 1783, Louis XVI purchased the Rambouillet estate and had large-scale work undertaken to modernise what was then a small market town. Today, in its urban shape, the town is a reminder of the simple Ancien Régime, the political and social system of France prior to the French Revolution, under which everyone was a subject of the king of France as well as a member of an estate and province.

The story of Rambouillet, the château, sited amid a forest of oaks, birches, moorland, heath and lakes, has for long been inextricably linked with the history of the kings of France. A former medieval fortress, it enjoyed its Golden Age during the reign of Louis XVI, who bought it as a private residence. But Rambouillet is also 13,000 hectares of state owned forest, a national hunting park, a multitude of paths and trails to explore on foot, by bicycle or on horseback, stretches of water with water-based pursuits. Since 1896, the château and its 250 hectares of grounds, have served as a presidential residence.

Chateau de Rambouillet
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