Around the world scattered a myriad of ancient majestic castles and palaces built several hundred years ago. These places allow the modern person to gain access to the past of his or another country, to feel the spirit of the past centuries and try to imagine how people lived in those times, and in what conditions. One of them is the Luxembourg Palace in Paris. What are the powerful walls of this architectural structure?
The history of the palace
In April 1615, on April 2, Queen Maria Medici laid the first stone in the foundation of her future palace in a festive atmosphere. After 16 years, he will become her coveted and beloved castle. But the wife of Henry IV of Bourbon and the mother of Louis XIII the Just can not long enjoy their chambers. Scary who did not love the Louvre and constantly missed Italy, Maria, becoming a widow, decided to build a palace that would remind her of the architecture of her native Florence. She wanted to get something of her own. She dreamed of a place where she would be pleased to be and live.
Luxembourg Palace built according to the project of the architect Salomon de Bross, who made the Florentine palazzo Pitti the basis of his creation. However, the result was a mixture of Italy and France. But this combination was wonderful. The queen had an excellent taste, so she decided to choose the best for her beloved mansion. To this end, Maria hired designer Rubens, a very famous person in Europe at that time.
Entrusting him with the interior decoration of the premises, the queen subsequently did not regret her choice. For her, Rubens created a series of paintings called "The Biography of Maria Medici." The queen liked these 24 works so much that she decided to order her husband's portraits to the designer in order to perpetuate his memory. But the lady did not have to admire her dream for long.
A few months after the construction of the castle, the queen was expelled from Paris by her own son. Subsequently the Luxembourg Palace overtaken hard times. During the Nazi occupation, the headquarters of the German Air Force was here. Then the castle served as a prison for political prisoners, and after that it became the residence of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Previously, even before the construction of the castle began, the property belonged to Francois of Luxembourg. When Mary bought them, they were 3 times smaller than today. Without delaying the matter, the queen acquired a few more pieces of land around her estate, which used to have farms, houses, and gardens to make the plot bigger and set up a garden. A total of 23 hectares of the park area with green spaces, ponds and sculptures - the territory that is today considered one of the most beautiful and ennobled in the world.
Luxembourg Palace today
In 1790, the castle acquired national status. Just then he was turned into a prison. And since that time, the Luxembourg Palace in Paris, the photo of which can be seen above, began to be actively transferred from one hand to another. Only in 1958, after nearly 200 years, it began to belong to the Senate. Today, meetings are held inside the beautiful and magnificent architectural structure. Changes were made to the interior and exterior of the building several times, since the castle is old and needs regular restoration. But on the outside, it remained almost the same as it was IV centuries ago.
Luxembourg Palace: Description
The central gate of the castle is crowned with three-story pavilions. And on the upper tier there was originally a terrace for the queen, from where the crowned lady could admire the garden. It is amazing that each floor had columns made in different styles of architecture:
- on the first - in Tuscan;
- on the second - in Doric;
- on the third - in ionic.
The architectural style that prevails in the palace is called transitional: from the Renaissance to the Baroque. For this reason, the castle looks so unusual. And it is not for nothing that it is called unique. The interior of the palace has not been preserved to this day. This is understandable. After all, after the status of the residence of Maria Medici, he changed a lot of names and destinations. Since the building belongs to the Senate, the entrance to it is strictly limited. However, there is a museum located in one of the wings, where various exhibitions are held. And the external charm of the palace can be admired all year round.
Castle territory
The possessions include the Luxembourg Gardens and the palace in Paris. The park area is no less charming sight. In this area everyone can walk 12 months a year and 7 days a week. The garden appeared around the same time as the palace. And together with his eponymous stone “friend”, he changed depending on the circumstances in which he was immersed by public authorities. Gradually, original sculptures appeared in the park, uniting into single ensembles, representing the appearance of emperors, generals, kings, thinkers and other personalities.
Throughout its existence, the garden has seen many now famous poets, sculptors, writers and artists. Today, he receives a huge number of tourists from all over the world, a considerable part of which are children. There is a real expanse for them, because the park offers a lot of entertainment:
- music show in the gazebo;
- puppet show;
- pony ride;
- a pond where ships of various models are launched into the "long-distance" voyage;
- a playground with an attraction.
Also, for the convenience and satisfaction of guests' needs, an outdoor restaurant was opened in the Luxembourg Gardens. It serves delicious national cuisine and, of course, local wine.
Excursions to the Luxembourg Palace
The garden is open to visitors in the winter from 7 to 17 hours, and in the summer from 8 to 22. The museum also operates throughout the year from morning to evening. Some of the 365 days can be significant - the doors of the palace will open and anyone can look around the interior of the castle. Only previously you need to call the management of museums in France by phone: 331 / 44-61-21-70. Entrance to the Luxembourg Palace, the photo of which is shown above, and the garden of the same name are paid: for adults - 11 €, youth under 25 years old - 9 €. But toddlers up to children under 9 years old can attend it for free.
Luxembourg Palace in Paris: location
The castle is located at: Paris, 75006, 6th arrondissement, 15 rue de Vaugirard (Saint-Germain-des-Prés). You can get to it if you follow the metro on line B to the Luxembourg RER station. Contact phone: 33 01 42 34 20 00.