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French heritage: landmark sites and food in Centre-Val de Loire
This sheet presents cultural landmarks of French society. It looks in particular at Centre-Val de Loire.
Key points of the sheet
- The château de Chambord was built on the banks of the Loire, near Blois, on the order of François 1er. It dates from around 1500.
- This very large château is famous for its Renaissance style. It is also famous for its spiral staircase.
- The château has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1981. It welcomes more than 1 million visitors each year.
- The tarte Tatin is a speciality of Centre-Val de Loire. It is a tart of caramelised apples cooked upside down, eaten warm as a dessert.
- The story says that one of the Tatin sisters caramelised apples by accident. She put pastry on top, baked it all, then turned the tart over.
Words to know
- Château de Chambord
- It is a very large Renaissance-style château, built near Blois on the order of François 1er.
- UNESCO World Heritage (patrimoine mondial de l’UNESCO)
- The château de Chambord has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1981.
- spiral staircase (escalier en spirale)
- The château de Chambord is famous for its spiral staircase.
- tarte Tatin (upside-down apple tart)
- It is a tart of caramelised apples cooked upside down, eaten warm as a dessert.
- Tatin sisters (sœurs Tatin)
- The story says they invented the tarte Tatin by accident.
Test yourself: 3 questions
On whose order was the château de Chambord built?
In French, the language of the exam: Sur ordre de qui le château de Chambord a-t-il été construit ?
The château de Chambord was built on the order of François 1er.
Since which year has Chambord been on the UNESCO World Heritage list?
In French, the language of the exam: Depuis quelle année Chambord est-il classé au patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO ?
The château has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1981.
What is the tarte Tatin?
In French, the language of the exam: Qu'est-ce que la tarte Tatin ?
The tarte Tatin is a tart of caramelised apples cooked upside down.
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More in this topic (Culture)
- French heritage: iconic sites and food of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
- French heritage: landmark sites and food of Brittany (Bretagne)
- French heritage: iconic sites and food of Corsica
Source
Sheet “Patrimoine français : sites emblématiques et gastronomie dans le Centre-Val de Loire” of the French Ministry of the Interior: formation-civique.interieur.gouv.fr. Content published under the Etalab Open Licence 2.0. This page is a plain-language adaptation made by Hexaciv, which is not an official site: if in doubt, the ministry's text is the one that counts.
Ministry sheet read on 23 October 2026, still identical on 25 October 2026.