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The Palace of Versailles (/ v ɛər ˈ s aɪ, v ɜːr ˈ s aɪ / vair-SY, vur-SY; French: château de Versailles [ʃɑto d(ə) vɛʁsɑj] ⓘ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about 19 kilometers (12 mi) west of Paris, France.
- Overview
- The palace
Palace of Versailles, former French royal residence and centre of government, now a national landmark. It is located in the city of Versailles, Yvelines département, Île-de-France région, northern France, 10 miles (16 km) west-southwest of Paris. As the centre of the French court, Versailles was one of the grandest theatres of European absolutism.
The original residence was primarily a hunting lodge and private retreat for Louis XIII (reigned 1610–43) and his family. In 1624 the king entrusted Jacques Lemercier with the construction of a château on the site. Its walls are preserved today as the exterior facade overlooking the Marble Court.
Under the guidance of Louis XIV (reigned 1643–1715), the residence was transformed (1661–1710) into an immense and extravagant complex surrounded by stylized French and English gardens. Every detail of its construction was intended to glorify the king. The additions were designed by such renowned architects as Jules Hardouin-Mansart, Robert de Cotte, and Louis Le Vau. Charles Le Brun oversaw the interior decoration. Landscape artist André Le Nôtre created symmetrical French gardens that included ornate fountains with “magically” still water, expressing the power of humanity—and, specifically, the king—over nature.
To the east of the palace is the Place d’Armes, a wide plaza that in the 21st century served mainly as a parking lot to accommodate the thousands of tourists who visited Versailles each day. In the centre of the Place d’Armes, facing the Avenue de Paris, is a bronze equestrian statue of Louis XIV. Originally located at the apex of the Court of Honour, the statue was relocated to the Place d’Armes in 2009 after an extensive restoration. To the west is the Gate of Honour, a gilded iron gate and stone balustrade that marks the main entrance to the palace complex. Beyond that lies the broad expanse of the Court of Honour, bounded on the north and south by the Ministers’ Wings, outbuildings constructed in the 1680s to house the king’s secretaries of state.
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The Royal Gate, an elaborate gold leaf gate, separates the Court of Honour from the Royal Court at the location where the Louis XIV statue once stood. Unveiled in 2008, the Royal Gate partially re-creates a gate that was designed by Hardouin-Mansart in the 1680s and was destroyed during the French Revolution. Some art historians criticized the Royal Gate as a modern interpretation of the original rather than a true restoration, but it served an undeniably valuable role in directing visitor traffic. Flanking the Royal Court to the south is the Dufour Pavilion, while the Gabriel Pavilion lies to the north. Both areas were extensively remodeled in the 21st century to serve as visitor reception centres. Beyond the Royal Court is the Marble Court, so named for the distinctive black and white marble tiles that adorn the terrace floor. Dozens of marble busts, depicting Roman deities and emperors, adorn the facades overlooking the court, and the central buildings of the palace complex rise around it.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
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Today the Palace contains 2,300 rooms spread over 63,154 m2. In 1789, the French Revolution forced Louis XVI to leave Versailles for Paris.
Oct 5, 2017 · By the time of the French Revolution, it had a population of more than 60,000 people, making it one of the largest urban centers in France.
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At one point, over 5,000 people could be accommodated in Versailles’ large living space. The Orangery, Estate of Versailles by Jules Hardoin-Mansard Palace of Versailles. 2. The smell of the...
At the time of the reign of Louis XIV between 3,000 and 10,000 people were living at the Versailles Palace. Pests like mice and rats outnumbered the human population many times. Louis XIV in the gardens of Versailles surrounded by members of the court.
83,587 Population [2021] – Estimate. 26.18 km² Area. 3,193/km² Population Density [2021] -0.43% Annual Population Change [2015 → 2021] Source: Institut National de la Statistique et des Études Économiques, France. Explanation: Communes in the boundaries of 1 January 2023. Since 2006, France estimates the population by using census ...
