Built between 1519 and 1547, the Chateau de Chambord in the Loire Valley is impressive in size and architectural detail in the French Renaissance style. It was commissioned by Francis I of France as a hunting lodge. Today, a collection of innovative designs that proved their influence on other French monuments of the 16th century AD, it is still considered one of the most famous and most visited buildings in France, having been inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1981.