The Stables

In the second half of the 19th century the horse held pride of place among the aristocracy. It was essential to hunting with hounds and still the most common means of traction. A nobleman displayed his arms painted on his carriage and showed off the splendour of his footmen's liveries.

In 1877 the princely couple commissioned the renowned architect Paul-Ernest Sanson to build stables that were to be sumptuous and the most modern in Europe. He chose brick and stone (brick was commonly used for equestrian palaces at the end of the 19th century), while reusing an old sculpted motif seen on the château's façades: a frieze alternating the double "C" of Charles II de Chaumont and the mountain in flames.

Two stables were built, the larger for the owners' use and the other for their guests.