Rambouillet

In almost seven centuries, the Rambouillet Castle has played a major part in the History of France: Francis 1, the great king of the Renaissance, died here, King Louis XVI enjoyed his last moments of peace before being toppled by the Revolution while Napoleon1 also settled in it. But it is by becoming a presidential residence in 1896, under president Felix Faure, that the castle started playing a role in World History.
The former stronghold has been turned into a comfortable palace, ideal for world sumits and international conferences. And it is in Rambouillet that the tradition of informal meetings between the World leading powers, now known as G8, started in the 1970s. The fisrt oil crisis led to afirst summit, organised by president Valery Giscard d’Estaing in November, 1975: the United States, Japan, France, West Germany and United Kingdom, plus Italy, created a think tank rapidly known as G6. The six heads of State pledged to meet annually under a rotating presidency to discuss economic and financial issues. The summits are meant to "discuss world affairs frankly and unceremoniously in a relaxed atmosphere".
Throughout the years, Germany was reunified, Canada then Russia joined and the group became G8.
The Rambouillet castle was again, 24 years later, home to another major international conference. The meeing aimed at solving the conflict between Serbia and Kosovo and failed to reach an agreement. The inconclusive summit led to NATO strikers against Yugoslavia.