The Palace of Versailles and its magnificent evening gardens have become the quintessential model for palaces in Europe. In the era of absolute monarchy Palace of Versailles was designed to be admired. King Louis XIV wanted his palace to cause envy in every king and awe in every peasant.

The city itself is located 20 km from the capital. The first records about him go back to the middle of the 11th century about the local monastery of Saint-per-de-Chartres. By the end of the eleventh century, Versailles was a small village enveloping the castle, however, it flourished until the thirteenth century.

Story

In the sixteenth century, the Gondi families began to rule Versailles and it began to gain prominence. In 1622, the future King of France, Louis XIII, started building a small brick house after seeing these places for the first time. A dozen years later, he began to rule Versailles and began to expand his residence. After that, he bought out most of the land and treasures of the Gondi family.

In 1662, the new King Louis XIV took a serious interest in Versailles. He thought about moving it royal residence away from the Louvre Palace, as it was in regular political instability. For the most part, he was the initiator of the expansion of the building that we know today. He hired Louis Le Vau and the painter Charles Le Brun to design and build the palace. As a result, it became a shining example for other European castles. André Lentor was in charge of designing the palace garden.

After Le Vau died, construction management passed to the architect Jules Adrouin-Mansart. Thanks to him, several wings were erected and Grand Palace. Later construction included an opera and a small Trianon. In 1790, a priceless series of paintings, sculptures and other objects that were in the castle were transferred to the Louvre Museum, and the lion's share of its furniture was put up for auction.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the castle became a favorite place of Napoleon. In the middle of the 19th, King Louis Philippe made a museum out of it, which was dedicated to the glory of his country. The chapel and the hall of mirrors were preserved, but most of its rooms were demolished to make room for exhibition halls. In the second half of the 20th century, Pierre Verlet was responsible for bringing furniture back to the palace and many rooms were restored. Today, most of its territory is accessible to tourists, as well as its famous garden.

What to see in Versailles

hall of mirrors

This hall made the greatest contribution to the development of the palace. Its main highlight is 17 mirrored arches that reflect the magnificent garden in 17 identical window arcades. Each arch is filled with 21 mirrors. This hall is more than 70 meters long, more than ten meters wide and about 12 meters high. The sculptures in it are located along the line of the wall. It took an important place in history after the end of the World War.

royal chapel

The current castle chapel is the fifth. Its construction took about two decades. It offers a terrace on the same level with the rooms of the kings. It offers a stunning view of the church, where the kings sat when they went to mass. Her style contains a contrast between gothic and baroque. Many features of the chapel are made in the style medieval cathedrals such as gargoyles and gabled roofs. But other characteristics are more reminiscent of the era in which it was built.

Royal Opera

Her room is completely furnished with wood. Although it was not intended for a wide audience, it will be able to accommodate over 750 visitors. The design of the opera is dominated by gold and burgundy. It was first used to celebrate the wedding of the King and Marie Antoinette. Also, the opera has an exclusive system that makes it possible to raise the floor to the limits of the stage. Today it is still used for all sorts of performances.

In the 17th century, about 100 hectares of the garden of the Palace of Versailles were designed by André Lentor. He laid out a geometric ornament of bushes and trees. Lentor also dried up the area and made several pools. There are a couple of interesting fountains in the park. The most popular are the fountain of Latona and the fountain with a sculpture of Louis XIV. The third most famous is the Neptune Fountain. They served to entertain the many guests who were invited by the king to his colorful parties. Another highlight of the garden is the colonnades designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart.

Also on the territory of the palace there are several small palaces. At that time, over 10 thousand people worked in the castle, which made this place not confidential. Therefore, the king ordered the construction of a large Trianon to begin. As a result, he had to become as bright as the main palace, where he could avoid prying eyes when meeting with his mistress. His heir built a small Trianon with the same goals.

The exact address: Place d'Armes, 78000 Versailles, France.

Ways of travel. Train from Gare Montparnasse to Versailles-Chantiers station. From the Gare Saint-Lazare to the station "Versailles-Rive droite". By metro to the station “Pont de Sèvres” + bus number 171 to the stop “Château de Versailles”.

Working hours Palace of Versailles: from 9:00 to 18:30 (April-October). From 9:00 to 17:30 (November-March).

Last tour 30 minutes before closing. The castle is closed on Mondays, also January 1st and 5th, and December 25th.

(Versaille Palace) near Paris, the very grandiose Versailles - the magnificent residence of the kings of France, the great collective creation of the best French architects and landscape masters. Created by Louis XIV with the clear intention of eclipsing everything built in Europe up to that time, and really eclipsed.

• Versailles is a monument to the "Sun King", a visual visualization of the idea: the monarch is the center of the universe

The hunting castle in Versailles, which became a huge palace, turned into a role model throughout Europe. It remains the benchmark today. The grandiosity of the idea and the elegance of its implementation in practice cannot leave you indifferent!

• Royal Palace of Caserta, built for the Italian branch of the Bourbons
• Russian Upper and Lower Gardens in Peterhof, Bolshoi Catherine Palace in Tsarskoye Selo
• La Granja de San Ildefonso in Spain near Segovia
• Herrenchiemsee in Germany
• many archiepiscopal, ducal residences and private residences

in one way or another borrowed the ideas implemented in the creation of the Palace of Versailles and the park!

However, he himself did not materialize out of thin air. There is an opinion that the idea of ​​building a new residence came from Louis XIV after a visit to the Vaux-le-Vicomte castle. Built near Paris by the royal treasurer Nicolas Fouquet and richness of finishes eclipsed all that existed in France before him!

Palace of Versailles in numbers

The total length of the garden facade exceeds half a kilometer (670 meters). The palace has more than 700 rooms, 1,252 fireplaces and 67 staircases. At the World The Palace of Versailles looks at the world through 2,153 windows.

The total area of ​​the building exceeds 67,000 square meters. And the whole complex with the park is spread over 8 km2. Why not a self-sufficient country?

Palace apartments to this day amaze with the luxury of decoration. Particularly distinguished are: the Mirror Gallery, a hall 73 meters long, 10.5 meters wide and 12.5 meters high, the King's Apartments, whose windows overlook the inner Marble Court, the Large and Small Royal Chambers.

The amount spent on the construction and decoration of the Palace of Versailles only in the era of Louis XIV amounted to 26 million livres!

Royal Apartments

The royal bedroom was located in the central part of the palace on the second floor and overlooked the Marble Court. In front of the bedroom was the famous and often mentioned in the historical literature "Oy de Boeuf" room (l'Oeil de boeuf, "Bull's eye"), which received its name from the oval window in the roof.

• Large apartments of the king, Grand appartement du Roi (dark blue)
• King's private quarters, Appartement du roi (temperate blue)
• King's small apartments, Petit appartement du roi (light blue)
• Queen's Large Apartment, Grand appartement de la reine (yellow)
• Queen's Small Apartment, Petit appartement de la reine (red)

In the Palace of Versailles, for the first time, an enfilade system of halls was implemented on a grand scale. If in the previous residences of the French kings, private chambers were decorated in an intimate, chamber way, then here the life of the monarch is on display.

Private quarters: bedroom, study, reception rooms - all together had to create unforgettable impression about the incredible wealth of France.

• Louis XIV occupied rooms overlooking the Marble Court in the central part of the palace. The royal bedroom was located on the axis of symmetry, it was here that the "Sun King" died on September 1, 1715 at the age of 72)

Under Louis XV and XVI, the bedroom was used for the traditional ceremonials of lever ("rising") and coucher ("going to bed"). To the left of the bedroom is the Hoy-de-Boeuf, and to the right is the king's office, from where he ruled France. Under Louis XV, the building was expanded and turned into the Hall of Councils.

History of creation

A small hunting castle in the ancient village of Versailles, located just 15 kilometers west of Paris, arose back in the reign of Louis XIII, the father of the “Sun King” Louis XIV, who later ruled so long and so brilliantly, in 1624.

In 1632-1638, the castle in Versailles, designed by the architect Philibert de Roy, was turned into a small U-shaped palace. It should be noted that during the subsequent numerous reconstructions of the building, this part of it became the center of the composition, around which outbuildings gradually grew.

The era of Louis XIV

In 1661, after the death of Cardinal Mazarin, who ruled France in the role of first minister virtually single-handedly, King Louis XIV reconsiders the role of Versailles. The idea of ​​turning a small palace into a grandiose residence is born in the head of a monarch who has finally received real power, and its location outside Paris, the capital of France, is not at all accidental.

• The king seems to oppose himself to the heart of the nation, to its very big city, declaring that it is he who will now be the center of the universe for the French. However, the official transformation of Versailles into the center of gravity of France is slightly delayed: only in 1682 did the court finally move here.

Large-scale construction in Versailles begins in 1669. It was then that the architect Louis Leveaux significantly enlarged the former, rather modest building by lengthening the side wings that today frame the so-called Marble and Royal Courts.

The next period in the construction of the Palace of Versailles begins after the Treaty of Nijmegen, in 1678, and another eminent architect, Jules Hardouin Mansart (Levo died in 1670).

Under Mansart, the building received the most significant increment: the northern and southern outbuildings-wings appeared, the famous Big Gallery, later called the Mirror Gallery, was created in the central part of the building, the ministerial buildings were completed, framing the third courtyard of the complex, the Ministerial.

At the same time, Andre Le Nôtre, an outstanding landscape architect, creates a regular park, and decorator Charles Brun supervises the interior decoration.

The next stage of construction, the last in the reign of Louis XIV, begins at the turn of the century, in 1699 and ends in 1710. As a result, a number of interior interiors are rebuilt and a beautiful Royal Chapel, begun by Mansart and completed by Robert de Cotte, appears.

It is impossible not to mention the construction in the park of a separate palace for the favorite of the King, the Marquise de Montespan: the Grand Trianon (Le Grand Trianon, Trianon in French means pavilion).

• Subsequently, during the First Empire, it was turned into one of his official residences by the first emperor of France, Napoleon Bonaparte.

After the death of the old king (in 1714), the court moved to Paris, and delegations of foreign states settled in Versailles. In 1717, the Russian Tsar Peter I also visited here, who later embodied much of what he saw in the country residence Peterhof near St. Petersburg.

Louis XV and XVI

The French court returns to Versailles in 1722, after the death of the regent, Philippe d'Orléans. Alterations of the vast palace at this time, in general, are insignificant, and mainly concern its interiors.

In the vast palace garden for the mistress of Louis XV, Madame de Pompadour, the Petit Trianon Palace, Le Petit Trianon (1762-1768), is being built. In 1763-1770, the composition of the Grand Palace of Versailles logically completes the Opera House designed by Jacques Ange Gabriel (flanked by the northern facade).

In the reign of Louis XVI, the Petit Trianon, presented to his wife, Marie Antoinette, turns into an exquisite pearl of an elegant and short-lived architectural style rococo.

After the Revolution

During the French Revolution, the Palace of Versailles lost most of its interior decoration, but the buildings remained standing. After the restoration of the monarchy, in 1837, King Louis-Philippe turned the former residence into a national museum by decree.

Subsequently, the palace twice (in 1871 and 1940) saw German troops (in 1871, Wilhelm I was proclaimed Emperor of Germany in the Mirror Gallery of Versailles). Here, in 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed, which ended the First World War.

Opening hours and ticket prices

The palace is open for visits on any day of the week, except Monday. 9 am to 6.30 pm from May to September and 9 am to 5.30 pm from October to April.

A ticket to the Palace of Versailles, both Trianons, the park (2018) will cost 20 €. 25 € is a ticket for 2 days.

Visitors under the age of 18, regardless of citizenship, and EU citizens under 26 years of age are admitted free of charge.

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Is it possible to find another place as aesthetically harmonious as the Palace of Versailles?! Its external design, the elegance of the interior and the park area are made in the same style, the whole complex deserves to be walked around by representatives of the aristocracy. Every tourist will certainly feel the spirit of the reign of kings, as it is easy to try on the role of a powerful autocrat in whose power the whole country is in the palace and park territory. Not a single photo can convey true grace, since every meter of this ensemble is thought out to the smallest detail.

Briefly about the Palace of Versailles

Probably, there are no people who do not know where the unique structure is located. The famous palace is the pride of France and the most recognizable royal residence in the world. It is located near Paris and previously was a separate building with a park area. With the growing popularity of this place, numerous houses appeared among the aristocracy around Versailles, in which builders, servants, retinue and other people who were admitted to the court lived.

The idea of ​​creating a palace ensemble belonged to Louis XIV, known as the "Sun King". He himself studied all the plans and pictures with sketches, made adjustments to them. The ruler identified the Palace of Versailles with a symbol of power, the most powerful and indestructible. Only the king could personify complete abundance, so luxury and wealth are felt in all the details of the palace. Its main facade stretches for 640 meters, and the park occupies more than one hundred hectares.

Classicism was chosen as the main style, which was at the peak of popularity in the 17th century. Several of the best architects were involved in the creation of this massive project, which went through several stages of construction. Only the most famous masters worked on the decoration inside the palace, creating engravings, sculptures and other art treasures that still adorn it.

The history of the construction of the famous palace complex

It is difficult to say when the Palace of Versailles was built, since work on the ensemble was carried out even after the king settled in a new residence and arranged balls in exquisite halls. Officially, the building received the status of a royal residence in 1682, but it is better to mention the history of the creation of a cultural monument in order.

Initially, since 1623, there was a small feudal castle on the site of Versailles, where the royal people with a small retinue were located while hunting in the local forests. In 1632, the possessions of the French kings in this part of the country expanded through the purchase of a nearby estate. Small construction work was carried out near the village called Versailles, but the global restructuring began only with the coming to power of Louis XIV.

The Sun King became the ruler of France early and forever remembered the rebellion of the Fronde, which was partly the reason that the residence in Paris evoked unpleasant memories in Louis. Moreover, being young, the ruler admired the luxury of the castle of the Minister of Finance Nicolas Fouquet and wished to create the Palace of Versailles, surpassing everything in beauty today. existing castles so that no one in the country would doubt the wealth of the king. Louis Levo was invited to the role of architect, who had already proven himself in the implementation of other large-scale projects.

Throughout the life of Louis XIV, work was carried out on palace ensemble. In addition to Louis Leveaux, Charles Lebrun and Jules Hardouin-Mansart worked on the architecture, the park and gardens belong to the hand of André Le Nôtre. The main asset of the Palace of Versailles of this stage of construction is the Mirror Gallery, in which paintings alternate with hundreds of mirrors. Also during the reign of the Sun King, the Battle Gallery and the Grand Trianon appeared, and a chapel was erected.

In 1715, power passed to the five-year-old Louis XV, who, together with his retinue, returned to Paris and for a long time did not rebuild Versailles. During the years of his reign, the Salon of Hercules was completed, and the Small Apartments of the King were created. A great achievement at this stage of construction is the construction of the Petit Trianon and the completion of the Opera Hall.

Components of the palace and park area

It is simply impossible to describe the sights of the Palace of Versailles, since everything in the ensemble is so harmonious and elegant that any detail is a real work of art. During the tour, be sure to visit the following places:

• Grand Trianon (used for outdoor recreation);
  
• Petit Trianon (was the home of the mistress of Louis XV);
  


• Farm of Marie Antoinette;
  
• King's quarters;
  
• mirror gallery.
  

At the main entrance to the territory of the palace complex, there are gates made of gold, decorated with a coat of arms and a crown. The area in front of the palace is decorated with sculptures, which are also found inside the main building and throughout the park. You can even find a statue of Caesar, whose cult was valued by the French masters.

Separately, it is worth mentioning the park of Versailles, as it is an exceptional place, charming with its diversity, beauty and integrity. There are amazingly decorated fountains with musical arrangements, botanical gardens, greenhouses, swimming pools. Flowers are collected in unusual flower beds, and shrubs are annually given certain shapes.

Significant episodes in the history of Versailles

Although the Palace of Versailles was used as a residence for a short time, it played a significant role for the country - in the 19th century it received the status national museum, where numerous engravings, portraits, paintings were transported.

With the defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, the mansions became the property of the Germans. They chose the Hall of Mirrors to proclaim themselves the German Empire in 1871. The French were offended by the chosen location, so after the defeat of Germany in the First World War, when Versailles was returned to France, the peace treaty was signed in the same premises.

Since the 50s of the 20th century, a tradition has appeared in France, according to which all visiting heads of state were to meet with the president in Versailles. Only in the 90s it was decided to move away from this tradition due to the great popularity of the Palace of Versailles among tourists.

The monarchs of other countries who visited the French landmark marveled at the elegance and luxury of the royal residence and often, upon returning home, tried to recreate no less exquisite palaces with similar architecture. Of course, you will not find a similar creation anywhere in the world, but many castles in Italy, Austria and Germany have some similarities. Even the palaces in Peterhof and Gatchina are made in the same classicism, borrowing a number of ideas.

From historical descriptions it was known that it was very difficult to keep secrets in the palace, since Louis XIV preferred to know what was on the mind of his courtiers in order to avoid conspiracies and uprisings. The castle has many hidden doors and secret passages, which were known only to the king and the architects who designed them.

During the reign of the Sun King, almost all decisions were made in the Palace of Versailles, because statesmen and close associates of the autocrat were here around the clock. To become part of the retinue, one had to live in Versailles regularly and attend daily ceremonies, during which Louis often distributed privileges.

Located 20 km southwest of Paris, the royal town of Versailles, better known as the Palace of Versailles, is a huge palace built by Louis XIV and now one of the most visited tourist spots in France.

The idea of ​​building a new castle arose from the king because of the envy he experienced when he saw the castle of his finance minister in Vaux-le-Vicomte. As a result, the king made a firm decision that his palace should, of course, surpass the palace of the minister in luxury. He hired the same team of craftsmen that had built Vaux-le-Vicomte, the architect Louis Lévaux, the painter Charles Lebrun, and the landscape architect André Le Nôtre, and ordered them to build something that would exceed the size of the palace of Vaux-le-Vicomte a hundred times. The Palace of Versailles has become the apotheosis of the indulgence of the whims of the French monarchs, and although you may not quite like the environment in which the extravagant and self-loving “Sun King” wished to live, the historical significance of this palace is enormous, the stories associated with it are truly fascinating, and the park around the palace is simply charming.

regular park Palace of Versailles- one of the largest and most important in Europe. It consists of many terraces that decrease as you move away from the palace. Flowerbeds, lawns, a greenhouse, pools, fountains, as well as numerous sculptures are a continuation palace architecture. In the park of Versailles there are also several small palace-like structures.

Versailles palace and park ensemble characterized by a unique integrity of design and harmony between architectural forms and redesigned landscape. Since the end of the 17th century, Versailles has been a model for ceremonial country residences European monarchs and aristocracy. In 1979, the Palace of Versailles and the park were included in the World cultural heritage UNESCO.

The history of the Palace of Versailles begins in 1623 with a very modest feudal-style hunting castle, built at the request of Louis XIII of brick, stone and roofing slate on the territory purchased from Jean de Soisy (Jean de Soisy), whose family owned the lands from the 14th century. The hunting castle was located in the place where the marble courtyard is now. Its dimensions were 24 by 6 meters. In 1632, the territory was expanded by purchasing the Versailles estate from the Archbishop of Paris from the Gondi family, and a two-year rebuilding was undertaken.

From 1661, Louis XIV began to expand the palace in order to use it as his permanent residence, since after the Fronde uprising, living in the Louvre began to seem unsafe to him. The architects André Le Nôtre and Charles Le Brun renovated and enlarged the palace in the Baroque and Classicist styles. The entire facade of the palace from the garden side is occupied by a large Mirror Gallery, which makes an amazing impression with its paintings, mirrors and columns. In addition to it, the Battle Gallery, the palace chapel and the palace theater also deserve mention.

Around the palace, a city gradually arose, in which artisans settled, supplying the royal court. Louis XV and Louis XVI also lived in the Palace of Versailles. During this time the population Versailles and the adjacent city reached 100 thousand people, however, it quickly declined after the king was forced to move to Paris. May 5, 1789 in the Palace of Versailles gathered representatives of the nobility, the clergy and the bourgeoisie. After the king, who by law was given the right to assemble and dissolve such events, adjourned the meeting for political reasons, the deputies from the bourgeoisie declared themselves the National Assembly and retired to the Ballroom. After 1789, the Palace of Versailles was maintained only with difficulty. Since the time of Louis Philippe, many halls and rooms have been restored, and the palace itself has become an outstanding national historical museum, which exhibited busts, portraits, paintings of battles and other works of art of predominantly historical value.

The Palace of Versailles was of great importance in German-French history. After the defeat of France in the Franco-Prussian War, from October 5, 1870 to March 13, 1871, it was the residence of the main headquarters of the German army. On January 18, 1871, the German Empire was proclaimed in the Mirror Gallery, and Wilhelm I was its Kaiser. This place was deliberately chosen to humiliate the French. The peace treaty with France was signed on February 26, also at Versailles. In March, the evacuated French government moved the capital from Bordeaux to Versailles, and only in 1879 again to Paris.

At the end of the First World War, a preliminary truce was concluded at the Palace of Versailles, as well as the Treaty of Versailles, which the defeated German Empire was forced to sign. This time, historical place was picked up by the French to humiliate the Germans. The harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles (including huge indemnity payments and admission of sole guilt) were a big burden on the young Weimar Republic. Because of this, it is widely believed that the consequences of the Treaty of Versailles were the basis for the future emergence of Nazism in Germany.

After World War II, the Palace of Versailles became the site of German-French reconciliation. This is evidenced by the celebrations on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Elysee Treaty, which took place in 2003.

Many palaces in Europe were built under the undoubted influence of Versailles. These include the castles of Sanssouci in Potsdam, Schönbrunn in Vienna, the Great Palaces in Peterhof and Gatchina, as well as other palaces in Germany, Austria and Italy.

Since 2003 Palace of Versailles became the object of one of the projects under the patronage of Jacques Chirac - a large-scale restoration plan for the palace, comparable only to Mitterrand's project to renovate the Louvre. The project, with a total budget of 400 million euros, is designed for a period of 20 years, during which the facade and interior of the Opera will be renovated, the original layout of the gardens will be restored, and the three-meter gilded King's Grille will be returned to the inner Marble Court. In addition, after the restoration, tourists will be able to visit for free those parts of the castle that today can only be accessed with organized tour. However, over the next few years, work will be limited only to the most urgent tasks: so that the roof does not leak, so that there is no short circuit in the electrical wiring, and so that interruptions in the central heating system do not allow the palace to fly into the air, because even revolutionaries.