Versailles

France

Why Versailles

is special

Louis XIV, the Sun King, expanded and embellished Louis XIII's modest Versailles "hunting lodge" palace into Europe's grandest royal palace. In 1682 it became the seat of the French government.

Versailles

tips & insights

Louis XIV spared no expense (and nearly bankrupted France) in adorning Versailles with the finest furnishings to impress his subjects and foreign dignitaries.

His lavish balls with fashionably dressed men and women were legendary. So were his epicurean dinner parties.

The last resident king was Louis XVI, who succumbed to the French Revolution and the guillotine.

Versailles’s physical magnitude astounds visitors – it was once home to thousands of nobles, bureaucrats, soldiers and servants. To give you an idea of its size, consider that the stables alone held 2000 horses.

Versailles's most renowned chamber is the Hall of Mirrors, so named because the light from the 17 tall arched windows on one side of the room is handsomely reflected by the corresponding arched mirrors on the opposite wall. This hall is embellished with fine art and chandeliers.

The royal chapel and living quarters also define grandeur, as do the immense Versailles gardens dotted with statues and fountains.

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©2008 HQP / Hillman Quality Publications