Palace of Versailles

Neptune and the Palace of Versailles in France.

The Palace of Versailles, or simply Versailles, is a royal chateau in Versailles in the ile-de-France region of France. The court of Versailles was the center of political power in France from 1682, when Louis XIV moved from Paris, until the royal family was forced to return to the capital in October 1789 after the beginning of the French Revolution.

 

Louis obtained the seigneury of Versailles from the Gondi family and began to make enlargements to the château. This structure would become the core of the new palace. Louis XIII’s successor, Louis XIV, had it expanded into one of the largest palaces in the world.

 

Following the Treaties of Nijmegen in 1678, he began to gradually move the court to Versailles. On 6 October 1789, the royal family had to leave Versailles and move to the Tuileries Palace in Paris, as a result of the Women’s March on Versailles.

 

During the early years of the French Revolution, preservation of the palace was largely in the hands of the citizens of Versailles. In October 1790, Louis XVI ordered the palace to be emptied of its furniture, requesting that most is sent to the Tuileries Palace.

 

In response to the order, the mayor of Versailles and the municipal council met to draft a letter to Louis XVI in which they stated that if the furniture was removed, it would certainly precipitate economic ruin on the city.

 

The grounds of Versailles contain 11 main beautiful fountains. The design of the fountains epitomize French-style gardens with water cascading over statues, water sprays and themes from Greek and Roman mythology.

 

One of two fountains in the main center walkway of the gardens, Latona sits in the middle of a circular pond. Its sculptures tell the story of Diana, mother of Apollo, protecting her children from the residents of Lycia while asking Jupiter for protection.

 

Of all the lovely fountain pools gracing the Versailles gardens, the Bassin de Neptune is the largest. A new fountain installed by Louis XV in the 1730s was acclaimed for the force and variety of its jets water playing over the sculptural groups. In all, the fountain boasts 99 water effects and is fronted by the lovely Dragon Fountain.

 

The construction of this fountain lasted more than a century. The twenty two jets in the middle of the fountain, the twenty two jets from the vases adorned with marine animals plus the presentation jets allow a combination of about a hundred special effects.

Palace Versailles

Palace Versailles, Royal Orangery.Paris, France.

The Hall of Mirrors which is a part of this wonderful place has served as a venue for royal wedding celebrations, a place for greeting foreign dignitaries, and even a corridor. On June 28, 1919, the treaty ending World War I was signed right here in this room.

 

More than 350 mirrors catch the light pouring in and the huge arched windows give a spectacular view of the gardens and canals. This wall is symmetrical to the facing side of the hall where 17 arches and French windows open to the gardens.

 

In the hall hang crystal chandeliers, making it easy to imagine imperial family aristocrats enjoying luxurious dance parties. During the French Revolution in 1789, the angry common people took King Louis the Sixteenth from Versailles to Paris, and looted the Versailles Palace.

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