Château de Versailles

Versailles, France

The Château de Versailles, which has been on UNESCO’s World Heritage List for 30 years, is one of the most beautiful achievements of 18th-century French art. The site began as Louis XIII’s hunting lodge before his son Louis XIV transformed and expanded it, moving the court and government of France to Versailles in 1682. Each of the three French kings who lived there until the French Revolution added improvements to make it more beautiful.

The Hall of Mirrors, the King’s Grand Apartments, the Museum of the History of France. The Château de Versailles, the seat of power until 1789, has continued to unfurl its splendour over the course of centuries. At first it was just a humble hunting lodge built by Louis XIII. But Louis XIV chose the site to build the palace we know today, the symbol of royal absolutism and embodiment of classical French art.

In the 1670s Louis XIV built the Grand Apartments of the King and Queen, whose most emblematic achievement is the Hall of Mirrors designed by Mansart, where the king put on his most ostentatious display of royal power in order to impress visitors. The Chapel and Opera were built in the next century under Louis XV.

The château lost its standing as the official seat of power in 1789 but acquired a new role in the 19th century as the Museum of the History of France, which was founded at the behest of Louis-Philippe, who ascended to the throne in 1830. That is when many of the château’s rooms were taken over to house the new collections, which were added to until the early 20th century, tracing milestones in French history.

References:

Comments

Your name

Website (optional)


Address

Avenue du Sud, Versailles, France
See all sites in Versailles

Details

Founded: 1682
Category: Palaces, manors and town halls in France

More Information

www.versailles-tourisme.com
wikitravel.org
en.wikipedia.org
en.chateauversailles.fr

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Versailles Cathedral (0,8 km)


Notre Dame de Paris (17,6 km)
Eiffel Tower (14,1 km)
Louvre (17 km)
Sacré-Coeur (18,7 km)
Arc de Triomphe (14,9 km)
Grand Palais (15,6 km)
Musée d'Orsay (16,3 km)
Place de la Concorde (16,2 km)
Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel (16,8 km)

User Reviews

Evelyn Thomas (19 months ago)
Each visit is breathtaking. My third visit to the Palace of Versailles, each room to the gardens is exquisite. The architecture, incredible detail, artworks and architectural landscape is definitely a must see. Best to book a tour group to avoid the queue and morning visits. Summer is always more hectic, I prefer February travel you can enjoy each room especially the hall of mirrors take your time to take in the beauty and appreciation of the craftsmanship.
Colin Day (19 months ago)
An incredible building. Exceptionally pretty and much more than just the Hall of Mirrors. So much history in one site and all for under 20 Euro a head to get in, hence great value for money. There is much more than the palace to see. There are ponds in the gardens and an ornamental lake. Given how busy it was midweek in February I really would recommend that you get there early though.
dillyjanjan (20 months ago)
So we saw all the reviews about this place and thought we had to visit it on a Musical Fountain day. Our minds and our son's mind were totally blown by this place. We took a quick tour of the palace then headed for the gardens. If you are willing to take your stroller on the most off road adventure of its life...then go ahead. The entire garden is covered in gravel and small stones. Have you ever pushed a stroller through beach sand?? That is what is feels like. There is a part leading down into more gardens. Its about 100 steps. The entire experience is going to be a work out so prepare yourself. It is totally worth it. Your kids are going to lose their minds. You are all going to come out covered in dust and dirt and you are going to have the time of your life. Once again...if you are ready for a physical workout...go Versailles with a stroller.
Keenan Gratch (20 months ago)
I loved it here, best way to describe it is grand and majestic. Inside is beautiful, The Hall of Mirrors is my favorite room there. The gardens are huge and maybe even close to as nice as inside. I didn't get to spend nearly enough time here but I will definitely be back
Lisa Lahr (20 months ago)
The palace was lovely. Get there before 9 to avoid standing for too long. Plan on spending the day and wearing comfortable shoes. The gift shops on the grounds have a full range of souvenirs. I will treasure my recipe books. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Most beautiful castles in Lithuania
Photo from Flickr, copyright Nigel Swales

Historic Site of the week

Charlottenburg Palace

Charlottenburg Palace is the largest palace in Berlin and the only surviving royal residence in the city dating back to the time of the Hohenzollern family. The original palace was commissioned by Sophie Charlotte, the wife of Friedrich III, Elector of Brandenburg in what was then the village of Lietzow. Originally named Lietzenburg, the palace was designed by Johann Arnold Nering in baroque style. The inauguration of the palace was celebrated on 11 July 1699, Frederick's 42nd birthday.

Friedrich crowned himself as King Friedrich I in Prussia in 1701 (Friedrich II, known as Frederick the Great, would later achieve the title King of Prussia). Two years previously, he had appointed Johann Friedrich von Eosander (also known as Eosander von Göthe) as the royal architect and sent him to study architectural developments in Italy and France, particularly the Palace of Versailles. On his return in 1702, Eosander began to extend the palace, starting with two side wings to enclose a large courtyard, and the main palace was extended on both sides. Sophie Charlotte died in 1705 and Friedrich named the palace and its estate Charlottenburg in her memory. In the following years, the Orangery was built on the west of the palace and the central area was extended with a large domed tower and a larger vestibule. On top of the dome is a wind vane in the form of a gilded statue representing Fortune designed by Andreas Heidt. The Orangery was originally used to overwinter rare plants. During the summer months, when over 500 orange, citrus and sour orange trees decorated the baroque garden, the Orangery regularly was the gorgeous scene of courtly festivities.

Inside the palace, was a room described as 'the eighth wonder of the world', the Amber Room, a room with its walls surfaced in decorative amber. It was designed by Andreas Schlüter and its construction by the Danish amber craftsman Gottfried Wolfram started in 1701. Friedrich Wilhelm I gave the Amber Room to Tsar Peter the Great as a present in 1716.

When Friedrich I died in 1713, he was succeeded by his son, Friedrich Wilhelm I whose building plans were less ambitious, although he did ensure that the building was properly maintained. Building was resumed after his son Friedrich II (Frederick the Great) came to the throne in 1740. During that year, stables for his personal guard regiment were completed to the south of the Orangery wing and work was started on the east wing. The building of the new wing was supervised by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff, the Superintendent of all the Royal Palaces, who largely followed Eosander's design. The decoration of the exterior was relatively simple but the interior furnishings were lavish. The ground floor was intended for Frederick's wife Elisabeth Christine, who, preferring Schönhausen Palace, was only an occasional visitor. The decoration of the upper floor, which included the White Hall, the Banqueting Hall, the Throne Room and the Golden Gallery, was lavish and was designed mainly by Johann August Nahl. In 1747, a second apartment for the king was prepared in the distant eastern part of the wing. During this time, Sanssouci was being built at Potsdam and once this was completed Frederick was only an occasional visitor to Charlottenburg.

In 1786, Frederick was succeeded by his nephew Friedrich Wilhelm II who transformed five rooms on the ground floor of the east wing into his summer quarters and part of the upper floor into Winter Chambers, although he did not live long enough to use them. His son, Friedrich Wilhelm III came to the throne in 1797 and reigned with his wife, Queen Luise for 43 years. They spent much of this time living in the east wing of Charlottenburg. Their eldest son, Friedrich Wilhelm IV, who reigned from 1840 to 1861, lived in the upper storey of the central palace building. After Friedrich Wilhelm IV died, the only other royal resident of the palace was Friedrich III who reigned for 99 days in 1888.

The palace was badly damaged in 1943 during the Second World War. In 1951, the war-damaged Stadtschloss in East Berlin was demolished and, as the damage to Charlottenburg was at least as serious, it was feared that it would also be demolished. However, following the efforts of Margarete Kühn, the Director of the State Palaces and Gardens, it was rebuilt to its former condition, with gigantic modern ceiling paintings by Hann Trier.

The garden was designed in 1697 in baroque style by Simeon Godeau who had been influenced by André Le Nôtre, designer of the gardens at Versailles. Godeau's design consisted of geometric patterns, with avenues and moats, which separated the garden from its natural surroundings. Beyond the formal gardens was the Carp Pond. Towards the end of the 18th century, a less formal, more natural-looking garden design became fashionable. In 1787 the Royal Gardener Georg Steiner redesigned the garden in the English landscape style for Friedrich Wilhelm II, the work being directed by Peter Joseph Lenné. After the Second World War, the centre of the garden was restored to its previous baroque style.

Map Top Sights Tags Historical Periods City Guides About Us Sign Up Upload new site
© 2020 SpottingHistory.com. All rights reserved.