Château de Versailles located in the same-named Parisian suburb is probably the best-known castle of France. The splendid building has its origins in a small hunting lodge of Louis XIII, which Philibert Le Roy extended on the king’s behalf into a three-winged hunting castle in the style of the early French Baroque between 1631 and 1634. Louis XIV loved his father’s castle, and after he had taken over the government in 1661, he used it as a pleasure castle and summer residence. From 1668, he... commissioned Louis Le Vau, François d’Orbay, Jules Hardouin-Mansart and Robert de Cotte to rebuild and extend it into one of the largest and most splendid palaces in Europe. Charles Lebrun was responsible for the interior. In 1682, Versailles became the royal residence and seat of the government. Today it is known as one of the highlights of European art of castle building, not at least due to the famous gardens by André Le Nôtre. Since 1979, Versailles has been part of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage. The outside appearance shows a striking difference in style between the garden façade and the city façade. The latter consists of many single buildings and corresponds to the old style of the original hunting lodge. On the contrary, the impressive garden façade shines in the classical Baroque style. Flatly jutting risalits, adorned with pillars and statues, liven up the rather strict sandstone façades. The “saloon of the ox’s eye” (Salon Oeil de boeuf), the Hercules Saloon as well as the splendid gallery of mirrors (Galerie des Glaces) and the adjacent bedchambers of the Queen and King are among the most significant rooms. With 30 stuccoed ceiling paintings, 357 mirrors and marble pilasters, the 246-ft (75 m) long gallery of mirrors is really impressing - especially the 17 window-sized mirrors, which seem to bring the gardens into the room. The real gardens outside are based on the Petit Parc, which was designed for Louis XIII by Jacques Boyceau de la Barauderie. Their current magnitude is due to the work of André Le Nôtre between 1662 and 1689. Typical of a Baroque garden, the castle park is divided into three areas: the parterres close to the castle, the bosquet and the spacious hunting woods. The facility is crossed by a main axis leading from the city through the castle, the garden and the big channel up to the Grand Parc. Symbolic allusions to the “Sun King” can be found everywhere, just like inside the castle. There are also numerous fountains and several maisons de plaisance: the Grand Trianon, which gave the inspiration to Sanssouci in Potsdam, the Petit Trianon as well as the Hameau de la Reine, which Queen Marie Antoniette designed as a retreat shortly before the French Revolution. The castle with its gardens and museums is open for visitors. From downtown Paris, Versailles can be reached by the RER C in about 40 minutes. The castle entrance is 10 minutes from the station. Tickets are available on site or, in advance, on the internet.
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