The Palace of Versailles was the principal residence of the French royal family from 1682, under Louis XIV, until the start of the French Revolution in 1789, under Louis XVI. It is located about 12 miles (20 kms) southwest of the center of Paris.
Versailles was once a small country village. Its name (Latin "versare") meaning turn over and over was a medieval expression for land that had been repeatedly ploughed.
The village of Versailles was surrounded by forests filled with abundant game, which became popular for hunting expeditions.
The future Louis XIII had a hunting trip in the Versailles forests in 1607. After he became king in 1610, Louis XIII returned to the village, bought some land, and in 1623-24 built a modest two-story hunting lodge there, which he later enlarged into a château.
His son Louis XIV first visited the Versailles château on a hunting trip in 1651 at the age of twelve, but returned only occasionally.
The French superintendent of finances, Nicolas Fouquet, presided over a large celebration in honor of Louis XIV. The festivities took place at Fouquet's magnificent newly completed chateau, Vaux-le-Vicomte. When Louis saw this palace he was outraged that one of his ministers should have such a home, while he did not. He had Fouquet thrown into prison and hired the men who had designed and built the palace to do the same for him.
Louis XIV conceived the plan for a magnificent new palace at Versailles just outside of Paris, which would replace the château there. He inaugurated the building project on May 7, 1664.
The men in charge of the project were Louis Le Vau (architect), Charles Le Brun (painter and decorator) and Andre Le Notre (landscape architect).
About 37,000 acres (15,000 hectares) of land were cleared to make room for tree-lined terraces and walks and thousands of flowering plants. In the center the cross-shaped Grand Canal was laid out. It was 1,737 yards (1,588 meters) long and 67 yards (61 meters) wide. There were 1,400 fountains and 400 pieces of new sculpture.
The beginnings of the palace in 1669 were fairly humble compared to the finished structure. The architect Le Vau enclosed the hunting lodge and gave it the appearance of a small palace.
In 1676 another architect, Jules Hardouin-Mansart, was put in charge of redesigning and enlarging the building.
Over 30,000 labourers and 6000 horses were employed at one time during the construction of Versailles. It cost Louis XIV upwards of $2 billion (£1.5 billion) to construct. Most of the expense was in materials, as labor costs were very low in 17th century France.
All the materials used in building and decorating Versailles were made in France.
At the time Venice had a monopoly on making mirrors so Venetian artisans were lured to France. The Venetians then ordered the assassination of the mirror makers for giving their secrets away.
On May 6, 1682 Louis XIV abandoned his old home, the Louvre. He moved his court to Versailles to establish his independence from the Paris nobility but the work continued for most of his reign.
Versailles' gardens had 400 sculptures, 1,500 fountains and covered more than 30,000 acres.
In order to supply water to the parks of the Palace of Versailles, Louis XIV ordered the construction of the machine Marly to pump water from the Seine located 6 miles (10 kms) away with a drop of 150 meters (492 ft). This machine, considered one of the most complex of its time worked for 133 years.
The palace of Versailles and its grounds had a population of 2000 courtiers, servants etc. Another 5000 lived nearby.
Louis opened Versailles to the public and the populace could come and watch the King dine.
One example of the luxury of Versailles was that even the chamber pots were made of silver. In 1689 these chamber pots were melted down to help finance Louis XIV's war against Britain and other European nations.
The king's rising in the morning and going to bed at night at Versailles were attended by elaborate ceremonies called the "levee & couchee." Each noblemen had his own duty and part to play in these rituals.
In 1743, King Louis XV of France had an elevator installed at Versailles to carry him from his first-floor room to his mistress on the second floor.
Three treaties of the 1783 Peace of Paris treaty, by which Britain recognised the independence of the United States, were signed at Versailles.
From 1682, when King Louis XIV moved from Paris and lived in the Versailles palace, until the royal family was forced to return to the capital in 1789, the Court of Versailles was the centre of power in the Ancien Régime.
The Treaty of Versailles, which formally ended the First World War, was signed in the Hall of Mirrors on June 28, 1919.
The Palace of Versailles was designated a World Heritage site in 1979.
In 2017 the Palace of Versailles received 7,700,000 visitors, making it the second-most visited monument in the Paris region, just behind the Louvre.
Sources Daily Express, Compton's Encyclopedia
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| Versailles Pixiebay |
Versailles was once a small country village. Its name (Latin "versare") meaning turn over and over was a medieval expression for land that had been repeatedly ploughed.
The village of Versailles was surrounded by forests filled with abundant game, which became popular for hunting expeditions.
The future Louis XIII had a hunting trip in the Versailles forests in 1607. After he became king in 1610, Louis XIII returned to the village, bought some land, and in 1623-24 built a modest two-story hunting lodge there, which he later enlarged into a château.
His son Louis XIV first visited the Versailles château on a hunting trip in 1651 at the age of twelve, but returned only occasionally.
 |
| The garden facade of the chateau of Louis XIII in 1660-64. (Engraving by Israël Silvestre) |
The French superintendent of finances, Nicolas Fouquet, presided over a large celebration in honor of Louis XIV. The festivities took place at Fouquet's magnificent newly completed chateau, Vaux-le-Vicomte. When Louis saw this palace he was outraged that one of his ministers should have such a home, while he did not. He had Fouquet thrown into prison and hired the men who had designed and built the palace to do the same for him.
Louis XIV conceived the plan for a magnificent new palace at Versailles just outside of Paris, which would replace the château there. He inaugurated the building project on May 7, 1664.
The men in charge of the project were Louis Le Vau (architect), Charles Le Brun (painter and decorator) and Andre Le Notre (landscape architect).
About 37,000 acres (15,000 hectares) of land were cleared to make room for tree-lined terraces and walks and thousands of flowering plants. In the center the cross-shaped Grand Canal was laid out. It was 1,737 yards (1,588 meters) long and 67 yards (61 meters) wide. There were 1,400 fountains and 400 pieces of new sculpture.
The beginnings of the palace in 1669 were fairly humble compared to the finished structure. The architect Le Vau enclosed the hunting lodge and gave it the appearance of a small palace.
 |
| The facade of the palace facing the garden in 1675 |
In 1676 another architect, Jules Hardouin-Mansart, was put in charge of redesigning and enlarging the building.
Over 30,000 labourers and 6000 horses were employed at one time during the construction of Versailles. It cost Louis XIV upwards of $2 billion (£1.5 billion) to construct. Most of the expense was in materials, as labor costs were very low in 17th century France.
All the materials used in building and decorating Versailles were made in France.
At the time Venice had a monopoly on making mirrors so Venetian artisans were lured to France. The Venetians then ordered the assassination of the mirror makers for giving their secrets away.
 |
| Versailles Hall of Mirror. By Photo: Myrabella |
On May 6, 1682 Louis XIV abandoned his old home, the Louvre. He moved his court to Versailles to establish his independence from the Paris nobility but the work continued for most of his reign.
Versailles' gardens had 400 sculptures, 1,500 fountains and covered more than 30,000 acres.
In order to supply water to the parks of the Palace of Versailles, Louis XIV ordered the construction of the machine Marly to pump water from the Seine located 6 miles (10 kms) away with a drop of 150 meters (492 ft). This machine, considered one of the most complex of its time worked for 133 years.
The palace of Versailles and its grounds had a population of 2000 courtiers, servants etc. Another 5000 lived nearby.
Louis opened Versailles to the public and the populace could come and watch the King dine.
One example of the luxury of Versailles was that even the chamber pots were made of silver. In 1689 these chamber pots were melted down to help finance Louis XIV's war against Britain and other European nations.
The king's rising in the morning and going to bed at night at Versailles were attended by elaborate ceremonies called the "levee & couchee." Each noblemen had his own duty and part to play in these rituals.
 |
| The King's bedchamber. By Jean-Marie Hullot |
In 1743, King Louis XV of France had an elevator installed at Versailles to carry him from his first-floor room to his mistress on the second floor.
Three treaties of the 1783 Peace of Paris treaty, by which Britain recognised the independence of the United States, were signed at Versailles.
From 1682, when King Louis XIV moved from Paris and lived in the Versailles palace, until the royal family was forced to return to the capital in 1789, the Court of Versailles was the centre of power in the Ancien Régime.
The Treaty of Versailles, which formally ended the First World War, was signed in the Hall of Mirrors on June 28, 1919.
 |
| The Signing of Peace in the Hall of Mirrors, by William Orpen |
In 2017 the Palace of Versailles received 7,700,000 visitors, making it the second-most visited monument in the Paris region, just behind the Louvre.
Sources Daily Express, Compton's Encyclopedia
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