Chateau Versailles by Aaron Smith

Louis XIII

smithaa15 — 2023-11-17 16:56:11 UTC

Dauphin came to hunt where the palace stands now in 1607. He was crowned king in 1610 as King Louis XIII, and in 1623, he built a hunting lodge there. From 1631-1634, it was built up into a palace.

Louis XIV

smithaa15 — 2023-11-17 17:02:53 UTC

Louis XIV loved the palace, and it underwent a constant stream of construction and expansion from 1661-1715. The government moved there in 1682.

Louis XV

smithaa15 — 2023-11-17 17:07:09 UTC

Le Chateau Versailles was abandoned for a few years as the court moved to Paris, and Louis XV never lived there full-time. He made the Royal Opera House and increased the number of smaller rooms in the palace.

Louis XVI

smithaa15 — 2023-11-17 17:12:57 UTC

Louis XVI was married to Marie-Antoinette at the palace, and he lived there full-time. He gave Marie-Antoinette the Petit Trianon, a small palace on the estate. In 1789, they had to leave for Paris.

The French Revolution

smithaa15 — 2023-11-17 17:20:30 UTC

In 1793, the Louvre opened, and a lot of art was moved from Versailles to there.
In 1793 and 1794, the furniture was moved from Versailles and sold off due to a new law.
In 1796, the palace became a museum.

19th Century

smithaa15 — 2023-11-17 17:29:58 UTC

Napoleon settled in Trianon instead of the main palace.
In 1830, the palace began to liven up again, with the ascension of Louis-Phillipe. He opened up a museum to celebrate the history of France.
Napoleon III also used it for celebrations.
It hosted some of the most important international political events in France up to World War I.

World Wars

smithaa15 — 2023-11-20 13:59:26 UTC

Versailles made it through WWI untouched, and it was the site of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, which ended WWI.
The palace began to fall into disrepair due to lack of money, but John D. Rockefeller made large donations to its restoration.

Recent

smithaa15 — 2023-11-20 17:01:32 UTC

Since the world wars, the Palace has hosted many famous guests including John F. Kennedy, Queen Elizabeth II, and Jimmy Carter.
In 1982, it hosted a G7 summit.
- G7 is an organization made up of the USA, Canada, UK, France, Italy, Germany (West Germany at the time), and Japan.
- Since then, Russia has joined and been kicked out.
- Currently, the EU is also kind of a member.
In 1999, a big storm hit Versailles, destroying gardens and trees.
Since 2000, many parts of the property have been restored.

The Park

smithaa15 — 2023-11-20 17:23:16 UTC

The park covers over 800 hectares. It includes the Grand Canal, which is 1.67 kilmeters long. It has free entry.

The Estate of Trianon

smithaa15 — 2023-11-20 17:23:28 UTC

This area of the grounds has 2 major buildings; Le Petit Trianon et Le Grand Trianon. With small gardens and the Queen's Hamlet, this estate is best known for being the home of Marie-Antoinette.

The Palace

smithaa15 — 2023-11-20 17:23:49 UTC

This World Heritage site has over 2,300 rooms across over 60,000 square meters. Across from the Hall of Mirrors are the Gardens, which were replanted due to the storm in 1999.

The Stables

smithaa15 — 2023-11-20 17:24:31 UTC

Currently, the Small Stables serves as a sculpture gallery. The Great Stables serve as the home of the Gallery of Coaches, the Campus Versailles, and the National Equestrian Academy of the Estate of Versailles.