French chateaus
A French chateau is a manor house, or a fine country house of nobility situated in France. In the older days they were built for kings and lords, people of high nobility, and these days they have been turned into residences for regular world citizens who want to live like royals in the beautiful country of France. The word chateau is a French word that has been adopted into the English language and made more specific. The word in English refers to a castle or palace.
Chateaus were built as a symbol of power in ancient times. Owning one was viewed as a badge of a family with an official rank in the community and more often royal nobility. The quality of these castles varies accordingly from splendid chateaus owned by the royal elite to the less appealing castles (in comparison) usually located in the countryside. They were historically supported by their lands advocating memorialist in the historic Roman era and early medieval villa system. The castles then started to be walled in and fortified for more protection purposes and reduction of trespassing in the third century AD. This is what pushed the castles into what they are today. They usually come with outbuildings, where the servants used to work and sleep (i.e., kitchens, breweries, stables, manservant quarters). Besides the court of honor, due to the large space the castle covers, it can have an inner court.
French chateaus history through the ages.
A lot of chateaus were built in France throughout the ages, and some are more historic than others due to the heritage they carry within their walls. The regions that stood in the times of the Middle Ages war tend to have been richer in historic fortified chateaus. Then there are some that are just as marvelous, but with less history attached to them; those that were built amid peacetimes in France in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. They were built as noble and royal residences.
Frances finest, historic chateaus were built in the fifteenth to the seventeenth century i.e., during the renaissance to the Grand siècle. The areas that were prosperous agricultural areas and located close to Paris have the largest concentration of chateaus. Loire has the most spectacular chateaus of the renaissance ages compared to any other all over Europe. Southeast of Paris there is the city of Burgundy. it is home to a lot of breathtaking gothic chateaus built from fine late gothic era to neo-classical chateaus of the seventeenth and eighteenth century.
In the 17th century, when France was in great European power, French culture was at its peak; and it was ruled by kings Louis XIII and Louis XIV. At this age French had the best of its artists, architects, writers, and philosophers. That was the time when France was growing out of a renaissance into a neoclassical. This age marks the start of the building of the most iconic chateaus known to France. They were not of any military significance, but that was a symbol of the owners’ prestige and wealth. One of the chateaus built at that time was the Château de Versailles, which was King Louis XIV’s residence.
Chateaus in different regions
Chateaus in the Bordeaux region have been designated estates since the 19th century. In the Bordeaux region they were also associated with vineyards and wineries. The nobles in this region owned the most remarkable vineyards for centuries, so buying one today comes with that on top of the already marvelous castle. Some of the castles are protected by French law, and this law was confirmed by the European Union in the year 1981. The chateaus are protected as traditional appellation. In this region the term chateau may be used if the wine made in that castle is made exclusively from grapes grown in that very vineyard, and the wine creating process is also carried out in the same castle.
The Loire valley encloses over three hundred chateaus which were built in the 10th and 20th centuries by the French kings and the nobles of the land. The sizes of the chateaus in this region range from extremely large to family scale. Chateaus no matter the size will still resemble the same thing in society and will give you that noble feeling after purchase. The term chateau will mean different things in different regions, and this is due to the growth of language all over the world, or just France itself but one thing they all agree on is that a château is a symbol of power and luxury.
Living in France
Living in France is an adventure-packed experience. France has a lot of history within its borders and a lot of influence from neighboring countries and the ancient Romans. The streets of France have amazing architecture and culture. The city of France has a decreasing crime rate, which has decreased by 13,92% since the year 2016. That means it gives you a safe environment to explore the streets however you want, with the necessary caution of cause. France has the most affordable houses in all of western Europe and a low cost of living, so that means value for your money all the time. Grocery bills and utility bills are quite affordable. France has high exposure to sunlight so that would be a great deal of help to both heat up your house and exploit solar power to power up your home. The weather in France is moderately tolerable, and the people are generally friendly; so France is a hospitable country to own a chateau in, and live like a king for the rest of your days. Buying a château in France
France is filled with beautiful and different types of castles to choose from, and among the vast choices of types there is also the region. Chateaus have been gaining in value over the years due to their demand in the property market. Before buying one you will need a budget and a well-trusted realtor. Have a deposit, it will help you have better negotiating grounds. You need to know what you are buying into before you purchase that chateau. they are of ancient making, and some are very damaged, although they come at a low price. If you make a bad château purchase, you will end up paying a lot more than you should have and most of those payments will be made after the final property purchase. Renovations cost money, but they do not have to cost more than the house, so choose wisely and do necessary research before buying into it.
Renovating a château
Just from the structural view of a chateau, it is considerable that the cost of making any sort of maintenance or renovations is going to make a hole in your pockets. Due to the substantial surface area of a castle, the running costs are generally going to be greater than the one of a normal family house. For a large castle you could be spending about 50 thousand to 90 thousand Euros a year just on running costs such as lighting, water, insurance and maintenance. But before you change your mind about owning this beauty of a castle because of the maintenance costs, think again. A chateau is a castle in the modern age, and although expensive to run, they may be made profitable if you are willing to invest into turning it into a museum. This is truer if you are buying a chateau that was once owned by a famous icon, then sold you because they have a history that some travelers are after, you can be able to monetize on that and possibly pay back on the investment.
Seriously, owning a chateau has never been so much easier than it is in this day and age; these fine stately homes are no longer reserved for the rich or the wealthy; anyone and everyone can now be able to own a chateau. However, before you buy a chateau you need to have a passion for art, fine stones, architecture or old stones. Just because they are cheap, it does not mean they forever remain cheap; you need to know why you think you can make it work. Below are a few reasons why you should buy a chateau in France:
- Literally living life in a castle and waking up in your own palace. It’s like a Princess movie which you step into, except this is reality. Chateaus are charming and incredible architectural designs
- You’ll get the opportunity to own a part of France’s history and restore it to the way you wish to. Learn more about the families that lived there before you and see life through their eyes in the olden ages
- Traditionally it is a great investment as you get to preserve the history of these chateaus just the way you want and no
- You will be spending your days in an exceptional estate, most likely built by a well-known architect
- You may make your chateau an image of guided tours and earn extra money when tourists come to view the place, or you may even add a guest house in the property because chateaus are built on land which is not limited
- If your chateau is labeled as a monument, you are eligible for grants to renovate and run your chateau while spending minimal money because the public and the government will be assisting you in living your dreams
- Benefit from tax reductions through all your renovation work just as long as
- The chateau is a monumental historic piece
- Your chateau is located in a Safeguarded Sector, or a Zone for the Protection of Urban or Environmental Architectural Heritage
Like mentioned above, chateaus may not be for everyone, but most definitely if you can afford it and have a plan on how to make it work for you then you should consider getting them now. Their prices have never dropped like now. It might be a good time to go and see them for yourself and see what exactly people are mesmerized with. Just be sure that you are buying a chateau because you just love the idea of living in it and your pocket runs deep, also have a little bit of passion about history and the historic buildings and stone, then you should be well off owning your very own chateau.
