The Blois staircase | Blois Chambord – Loire Valley Tourist Office

New 2024 decor

To celebrate the Olympic Games and the passage of the flame through Blois on July 8 and August 26, the staircase has been given a colorful trompe l’oeil. It features the different sports: running tracks, goal cages and a podium for the 3 winners.

Visible until September 15, 2024.

Installation video

The history of the staircase

You’ll meet runners who are proud to finish their run by climbing the 120 steps. At the top, some raise their victorious arms. They then rub shoulders with the imposing statue of Denis Papin. Sculpted by Aimé Millet and inaugurated on August 29, 1880, it pays tribute to the Blès inventor who, among other things, devised the steam engine, and whose name the street below bears.
What an impressive view, stretching over ten kilometers, well beyond the south bank of the Loire.

But the staircase is already a sight to behold. It boasts a medallion garden, all sloping, which landscapers are blooming at the cost of a few acrobatic feats. Since 2013, the staircase risers have been regularly covered with giant visuals. Thanks to social networks, this astonishing display is appreciated the world over, allowing art to take over the public space.

In 2017, echoing Geoffrey Hendricks’ “More Than 100 Skies” exhibition at the Fondation du Doute, the staircase melted into the clouds. The following year, an immense black-and-white spiral covered the site: a “magic whirlwind” well known to illusionists, celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the Maison de la Magie. In 2019, the monumental staircase was illuminated by the enigmatic smile of Mona Lisa, while the 500th anniversary of the death of its creator, Leonardo da Vinci, was celebrated.

The year 2020 gave visitors a feeling of freshness, imagining the Loire cascading down. Dragonflies, flowers and drops of water flowed down to the pavement.

For 2021, three sets followed one another: La Bibliothèque idéale, Les Monstres and les Anooki. In 2022, it’s time for Fluxus madness (artists from the Fondation du Doute). In 2023, two events will be celebrated with two decors: the arrival of the Photographic Walks in Blois and the anniversary of BD BOUM, the 40th anniversary of the comic strip festival.

2023

By loving you, my world has blossomed - 2023

is the work created by artist duo Frank Moth and chosen by the town this year. The art of photo collage enables them to create an original scene inviting contemplation and reflection. For Frank Moth, this work evokes love, camaraderie, introspection and the place of human beings in their natural environment, in time and space. “It’s also a thought that underlines just how much the world and the universe can be turned upside down when two people have loved each other very deeply, with all their hearts.” With this setting, the town is nodding to the Promenades Photographiques being held for the first time in Blois (June 30-August 30, 2023) and the Rendez-vous de l’histoire (October 4-8, 2023), whose poster features another work by Frank Moth. Visible until October 15, 2023.

For the end of the year, carte blanche has been given to Dutch illustrator Jooste Swarte, guest of honor since he won the Grand Boum 2022 at the Blois Comics Festival. His precise pencil strokes and play on perspective work perfectly with the 120 steps of the Denis Papin staircase.

2022

Art is life

Released on June 05, the staircase design celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Fluxus art movement, taking up its favorite theme “Art is life”. To celebrate the reopening of the Fondation du Doubt and the 60th anniversary of Fluxus, this typographic volume design pays homage to and revisits the world of George Maciunas, a major artist of the movement. It evokes the various forms of Fluxus art: video art, mail art, eat art, cinema, theater, performances, etc. The Fluxus spirit of the staircase also extends to the plant medallion at its heart. An exceptional mosaic of 4,000 plants, created by the City of Blois’ Parks and Gardens Department, completes the risers with a flowery reproduction of the Fluxus emblem, created by George Maciunas.

In the autumn, illustrator Sébastien Vastra posed his comic strip character Jim Hawkins.

Installation video

2021

3 sets throughout the year

In high season, the staircase was transformed into a library. The people of Blois were able to suggest titles for their ideal library. 2000 books made up this great fresco. A tribute to literature for all.

In autumn, Stan Manoukian let his monsters invade the monument. Children were able to collect these amusing characters in the shops, while hunting for trading cards.

In winter, the Anooki couple came to liven up the steps. As usual, they invaded the whole city to raise awareness of climate change, with a touch of humor.

The royal city of Blois

Discover its past and its secrets as you stroll through the streets.

Plaques have been affixed at the foot of the monuments (Villes d’Art et d’Histoire).
Follow 4 routes through the town with Les Petits Clous (€2 at the Tourist Office, or free on the Blois Chambord app).
Villes d’Art et d’Histoire guided tours in spring and summer

Our advice

Put your car down for the day, or come by train – the station is right in the center of town!

You can visit the town on foot, and all the sites to visit are within easy reach, but be sure to wear good shoes, as Blois has many steps.