Fontainebleau

Château de Fontainebleau, Seine-et-Marne, France, built by Francis I in the 16th century. He invited several Italian artists to decorate the château, and thus the Fontainebleau School of painting was founded. The château was the headquarters of NATO from 1954 to 1966.

Town in Seine-et-Marne département, France, situated 60 km/37 mi southeast of Paris near the River Seine; population (1990) 35,500. Its royal palace was founded by Philip the Good, but, as it exists today, was built by Francis I in the 16th century. Louis XIV's mistress, Mme de Montespan, lived here, as did Louis XV's mistress, Mme du Barry. The French emperor Napoleon signed his abdication here in 1814. Nearby is the village of Barbizon, the haunt of several 19th-century painters (known as the Barbizon School).

Philip IV, Francis II, Henry III, and Louis XIII were all born in the royal palace. Surrounding the town is the Forest of Fontainebleau (area 172 sq km/66 sq mi), which contains ancient oaks and beeches and is one of the loveliest wooded tracts in France, greatly esteemed by landscape painters.