Chantilly Attractions

The little town of Chantilly (pop. 10,902), famed for its racecourse and black pillow lace, lies on N 16, a little way west of Senlis. The château and its park are a popular destination for excursions from Paris.

Chantilly takes its name from a Roman named Cantilius who built a villa on the island here. In the Middle Ages the site of the villa was occupied by a castle which passed by marriage into the hands of the Montmorency family. At the beginning of the 16th C the castle was rebuilt by Pierre Chambiges in Renaissance style. During the 17th and 18th centuries Chantilly was the residence of the Condé family, a collateral branch of the royal House of Bourbon.