- Type
- Palace / château
- Origins
- 1661 · 17th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- Île-de-France, France
- Style
- French Baroque architecture
- Commissioned by
- Louis XIV of France
- Architect
- Jules Hardouin-Mansart, Charles Le Brun
- Heritage
- UNESCO World Heritage List
- Visiting
- probably – Wikidata lists it as a museum or gives tickets, opening hours or visitor numbers; check before you go
- Coordinates
- 48.8047°, 2.1203°
History
In 1623 Louis XIII built a modest hunting lodge on the site. From 1661 his son Louis XIV transformed it on a grand scale with the architect Louis Le Vau, the painter Charles Le Brun and the gardener André Le Nôtre, followed later by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, who created the Hall of Mirrors. In 1682 the king moved his court and government to Versailles, and the palace became the very image of absolute monarchy. In October 1789 a crowd from Paris forced Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette to move to the capital. Under Louis-Philippe the palace became a museum of French history, and its Hall of Mirrors saw the proclamation of the German Empire in 1871 and the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.
What to see
The route through the palace takes in the King's and Queen's State Apartments, the Royal Chapel and the Hall of Mirrors, whose 357 mirrors reflect the view of the gardens. Behind the palace stretch formal gardens with fountains, parterres and the Grand Canal, where you can hire a rowing boat. Deeper in the park stand the Grand and Petit Trianon and Marie Antoinette's rustic village, the Queen's Hamlet.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q2946
Popularity: articles about this site in 109 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).