The fame of the town of Versailles, located near the capital of France, has been inherent since the time when the Versailles Palace of King Louis XIV was built on its territory. It is the largest in area in Europe and one of the most famous sights of France.
It should be noted that the Eiffel Tower is the first most popular, and the palace in Versailles takes an honorable second place.
The article provides information about the most beautiful sights of Versailles.
General information about the city of Versailles
There is a town with the famous architectural complex 22 kilometers from Paris. The palace complex occupies almost half the area of the city.
For almost a century, Versailles served as the capital of the French state. It was in the Palace of Versailles that the most important decrees were issued, and various diplomatic issues were resolved. The infrastructure and improvement of this city were an example for many European countries. Even the US capital was built on the model of the royal residence of France.
Versailles is a landmark of France that has world significance. A magnificent building located in this town and created by the ruler who devastated the treasury of France, became a monument to the rule of that era. Today Versailles is a bourgeois cozy town with a unique centuries-old history, magnificent sights of world cultural and historical significance.
Reasons for the construction of the palace
Louis XIV had several reasons for the construction of the Palace of Versailles. However, the main factor was the desire to exalt himself above everyone and become the first king to own such a palace. Another reason is the most logical. This uprising in the Louvre, Louis became dangerous to remain in the same place.
And another reason is the desire to change the city. France at that time was a superpower and developed well enough, but Louis XIV did not like Paris at all because of its provincialism.
History
The history of the Palace of Versailles began in the distant 1661. Construction began on the site of a hunting pavilion, built by Louis XIII (father of the monarch) in the early XVII century. This establishment was located southwest of Paris, in a small village. As a result, in the place of a small cozy pavilion, a huge castle grew in the middle of the forest. It was built of brick, stone and roofing slate. The palace was so large that at the same time it could accommodate 20 thousand people. Year after year, the construction of the palace began to acquire a heliocentric system. All the time on its territory something was being built.
The monarch associated himself with the Sun (he himself coined the nickname "Sun King"). One legend says that once at the age of five walking in the Tuileries Garden, the future king looked into a puddle. In it he saw the sun and shouted: "I am the sun!" So everyone began to call him, especially since Louis himself liked the nickname so much that the Sun also became his emblem.
Louis XIV moved to the new palace in 1682, and two years later, balls were already rattling in its halls. Due to the fact that the scale of construction was grandiose, construction did not stop. Together with the complex, the village grew, which eventually turned into a small cozy city. The territory of the vicinity of Versailles grew, and the number of people living in it increased (artisans, builders, etc.).
Two castles were built - the Great Trianon for relaxation and the small Trianon, which belonged to the wife of Louis XIV, and later Madame de Pompadour (the lover of Louis XV). This place has become a favorite for Queen Marie Antoinette. A small farm was built under her, as she loved to deal with birds and animals.
Description of the town, attractions
Today in the city of Versailles there are many different restaurants, pizzerias, cafeterias, snack bars and other institutions. Interesting in the city and the old quarters.
Here you can visit the Royal Carriage Museum, located opposite the Palace of Versailles. It contains a considerable collection of the finest imperial crews. Interesting for visiting tourists is the Lambine Museum.
What to see in Versailles yet? Wandering the streets of the city, you can meet the chapel, the Empress’s theater, the village of the Empress, the Temple of Love, the Belvedere, the grotto, a farm and the French pavilion.
In the summer tourist season, Versailles represents the cultural life of the entire French region of le-de-France. At this time in the opera house are a variety of performances (ballet, opera, famous voices of the world). In the gardens at the beautiful fountains, bright light and music shows are organized. Bartabas (equestrian performance) performances are held here annually.
Palace
The attraction of Versailles is a huge palace, occupying a large territory of the complex (more than 100 acres). The palace is the highlight and the visiting card of the city. It is a huge creation of architecture, embodying the ideas of absolutism. Huge luxurious halls and bedrooms are decorated with magnificent frescoes, paintings, marble and wood carvings, sculptures, bronze, gilding, expensive silk and velvet.
The Mirror Hall stands out especially, where 17 huge mirrors with gilded sculptures located between them are installed on the 70-meter wall.
Versailles Park and Gardens
The surroundings of the palace are unique and beautiful. The most popular place for tourists is the picturesque main park of Versailles, along the alleys of which you can take a wonderful walk. It was here, in the green decorative zones, among a variety of fountains, pools and sculptures, at one time noble people of France walked.
Park and Gardens are located west of the palace. These picturesque sights of Versailles, erected under King Louis, did not at all lose their former beauty and grandeur. Today, a huge number of landscape designers and gardeners maintain in perfect order the park area of the complex, which occupies 900 hectares of land.
The Grand Canal (1600 meters long) runs through the central part of the garden, and flowers and decorative trees grow around it. There are ponds and many fountains, and marble and bronze sculptures flaunt the paths.
Chapels of Versailles
Since the Middle Ages, noble families have a tradition of building chapels at palaces. They came here to pray and ask God for help, and here they buried the dead close relatives.
Famous for the chapels and the palace of Versailles. There are five in total. Among tourists, the main architectural value was acquired by the chapel built by the latest. All of them were built as the architectural complex grew.
Fountains
The pride of the royal park is the wonderful fountains that are valid today. Their constant work represents a real technical breakthrough of that era. All of them were connected by a single hydraulic system, developing and improving in subsequent years. Such a system made it possible to pump water from sources located quite far from the park.
Versailles fountains are sculptural complexes from several platforms. The central image is the figure of Apollo facing the Versailles and arising from the water. In total, Versailles has 1,400 fountains.
It should be noted that, since there was no electricity before, a giant pumping machine built on the Seine was used to supply water. And it was activated only during the king’s walks.
Conclusion
Excursions to Versailles are very popular with travelers. An ordinary tourist can access almost all parts of the palace complex. It is divided into several parts: the palace, park and gardens, the complex of buildings of the Great Trianon (for all kinds of entertainment), Small Trianon (the place where the beloved women of the monarchs lived).
Having plunged into this fascinating journey, you can feel the atmosphere in which intrigues were trailing between thousands of the most distinguished and influential people of those times.
To calmly explore the whole of Versailles, you should stay in it for at least seven days.