Description of the attraction
The castle of Gien, perfectly preserved to this day, is another architectural monument in the Loire Valley. It is located in the city of the same name in the south of France, next to the famous Orleans forests, which, thanks to their reserves of game and poultry, were a favorite hunting ground for kings and French nobility in the Middle Ages. The former royal hunting castle now houses the International Hunting Museum.
The castle of Gien was built on royal lands in the 15th century for Anne de Beaugeu, daughter of Louis XI, who was the regent of France at the time of the construction of the castle. Before the Great French Revolution, the castle was owned by the Counts de Gienne, and in the first half of the 19th century it was bought out by the municipality, and, perhaps largely thanks to the participation of local authorities, it preserved its appearance and interior so well.
In those days, when the castle of Gien was the property of the French crown, it was assigned the unofficial title of the capital of the hunt. At present, the exhibits of the hunting museum remind about the past hunts and their crowned participants. From them you can trace the history of the development of hunting weapons - here are presented guns from the simplest specimens to richly decorated with precious stones and ivory, as well as unusual specimens like a gun adapted for shooting from a horse. The museum contains a collection of hunting horns and ornaments of hunters' costumes - buttons and other fasteners, of which there are about five thousand. The hunting museum was opened in the castle in 1952.
The art gallery of the castle displays paintings by François Deport, an animal painter who accompanied Louis XIV during the hunt. For his works, which depict hunting scenes and royal trophies, there is a large hall on the second floor. The paintings of François Deport at one time also adorned other royal castles and estates of noble courtiers.
