PARIS, July 5 — France’s historical Loire Valley châteaux have now landed in Google’s Cultural Institute, allowing curious web users the world over to visit them virtually and discover the precious cultural heritage they house.
A total of 18 partners from the Loire region have joined forces for the project: the Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud (Maine-et-Loire), the Cité Royale de Loches (Indre-et-Loire), the Domaine National de Chambord (Loir-et-Cher), the Forteresse Royale de Chinon (Indre-et-Loire), the Château d’Angers (Maine-et-Loire), the Château d’Azay-le-Rideau (Indre-et-Loire), the Château de Bouges (Indre), the Château de Châteaudun (Eure-et-Loir), the Château de Chenonceau, the Château du Clos Lucé, the Château de Fougères-sur-Bièvre (Loire-et-Cher), the Château de Meung-sur-Loire (Loiret), the Château de Montpoupon (Indre-et-Loire), the Château du Moulin (Loir-et-Cher), the Château du Rivau (Indre-et-Loire), the Château de Sully-sur-Loire (Loiret), the Château de Talcy (Loir-et-Cher) and the Château de Villandry (Indre-et-Loire).
For their arrival in Google’s Cultural Institute, 56 items from the various châteaux have been captured in ultra-high-resolution digital format using “Art Camera” technology, including the oriental ceiling of the Château de Villandry, the famous Apocalypse Tapestry of Angers and the frescoes of the Abbaye de Fontevraud. The “Art Camera” captures an extremely high level of detail, reproducing works of art with the highest possible level of precision. In total, over 2,000 documents and works of art will feature in 46 virtual exhibitions.
Several partner châteaux are also visible in 3D in Google Maps and Google Earth, including Chambord, Chenonceau and Villandry. What’s more, 17 châteaux and four gardens can be visited virtually on the Google Cultural Institute platform thanks to Street View image capture techniques. Web users can enjoy a 360-degree virtual tour of the inside and outside of several châteaux from the comfort of their homes and from anywhere in the world. They can take a virtual stroll through the gardens of the Château du Rivau, explore the intriguing underground passageways of the Château de Meung-sur-Loire or take to the towers of the Forteresse de Chinon.
Google Cultural Institute, created in 2011, seeks to make the world’s cultural heritage accessible online to anyone and everyone. This entirely free service already counts more than 1,100 partner institutions.
Check out France’s châteaux of the Loire Valley on the Google Cultural Institute website: www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/project/loire-castles. ― AFP-Relaxnews
