Fontainebleau Castle is set in a beautiful wooded area. It is located 55 kilometers south of the French capital Paris. Fontainebleau Castle was first mentioned in 1177, when Louis VII ascended the throne of France. The palace originally served as a hunting lodge. François I began work on its transformation into a palace four centuries later. In the 14th century, after the construction of the Palace of Versailles, interest in the Château de Fontainebleau waned, but its fame returned later when Napoleon Bonaparte chose it as his palace. Fontainebleau Castle occupies an area of 170 acres. It has 1,900 rooms, most of which have been preserved in their original form.