Paris Weekend Break

The Palace of Versailles

The Palace of Versailles is nothing short of monumental in both its scale and its aesthetics and it is set in stunning landscaped gardens, partially surrounded by a large lake.

The original chateau was completed in 1624 and the statistics that the present Palace of Versailles can boast are almost awe inspiring. The castle has seven hundred rooms, sixty seven separate staircases and over two thousand windows, and all set in eighteen hundred acres of extensively landscaped gardens.

Many consider the Palace of Versailles to be the most beautiful palace in the world.

Things to see in the chateau include its many works of art, furniture by a number of European craftsmen and the spectacular fireplaces of which there are over one thousand.

A brief history of the Palace of Versailles

The Palace of Versailles (in French Chateau de Versailles) gained importance when, in the seventeenth century, the district of Versailles was the unofficial capital of France.

At this time King Louis XIV used this district as his seat of authority and the massive chateau, then in a semi rural surrounding, was his Royal castle. During his occupancy he extended and enriched the building significantly and used the grounds for his private passion - hunting.

The palace remained the primary Royal home until the French revolution when the monarchy was overthrown. In1837 the Chateau de Verailles became a museum and it remains so to this day.

In modern France Versailles is a suburb of Paris, but the chateau retains its historic importance and impresses all of its 2.5 million annual visitors with its scale and physical beauty.