One of the 100 wonders of the world is considered the brilliant and incomparable Versailles. France is proud of such a unique building, which is considered the second most popular attraction after the Eiffel Tower. This is a famous architectural monument that takes us to the era of the Sun King - Louis XIV, who ruled the country in the 17th century. A wonderful ensemble, gardens and parks stretching over 101 hectares, a canal system, a residence for European monarchs and aristocracy - all this is Versailles.
How to get to this miracle of architecture? This question is of interest to almost all tourists traveling to France. The palace is located 17 km from Paris, originally there was a modest village, the first mention of which dates back to the XI century. Ile de France Versailles huddled near a hill, it was crossed by a road leading from Normandy to the capital, so travelers stayed here. The village became famous in the 16th century, when the future king Henry IV stopped in the castle in 1570. In 1606, his son
Louis XIII built a hunting lodge here to retire with friends from court rush.
But it was Louis XIV that Versailles owed its heyday. France in those years spent colossal amounts of money on the construction of the palace and the arrangement of nearby territories. The archives still hold accounts. Historians have counted about 80,000 lire, which in translation with our money is 259 billion euros. Construction continued for 50 years. As soon as the buildings were built, the king with the court suite moved here and lived among noise and dust.
As soon as in 1661, Louis XIV began independent rule, he decided to build the best palace in the state. His feelings were offended by the magnificent residence of Nicolas Fouquet, who at that time was the best in France. By order of the king, the finance minister was arrested for embezzlement of the state treasury, and Louis took over the professionals who worked on his estate. They became Lebrun, an interior artist, Levo, an architect, and Lenotre, a landscape architect. It was they who began to build the magnificent Versailles.
France, thanks to the fruitful cooperation of Levo, Lebrun and Lenotr, as well as the stubbornness of the king, acquired such a wonderful estate, harmoniously combining interior decoration, the unity of the architectural style and the surrounding territory. Louis XIV did not touch his father’s hunting lodge, but only ordered the completion of new buildings. To date, the largest palace in Europe is considered to be Versailles. France (photo of the estate is amazing) in the person of this building only gained and did not lose anything, although many contemporaries reproached the ruler for excessive wastefulness.
Many kings made their amendments to the decoration of the palace, but nevertheless it is associated precisely with Louis XIV. Until the French Revolution, which occurred in 1798, it remained the residence of the rulers of Versailles. France is still proud of this magnificent structure. In 1801, the creation of the King of the Sun was open to ordinary citizens, everyone could walk through the park, admire the decoration of the palace.