|
|
|
|
Sorry, there are 4 photos
loading into applet & download time is sloooow :(
1 ~ 2 ~ 3
~ 4
| In 1623, King Louis XIII built a small castle as
his hunting lodge, a pavillon de chasse. In 1661, his son Louis XIV, began
to use it as a refuge for romantic interludes with the beautiful Louise de la
Valliere. He created a fairy tale park surrounding the hunting lodge and began to
transform it into a magnificent palace. After the death of his mother, Anna of
Austria, he became obsessed with the construction and in1682, he moved his court to
Versailles, making it the principal residence of the sovereign. The Sun King, as he was
known by then, had created the most extraordinary ville royale in the
world. In 1661 the village of Versailles was a handful of country houses and by 1715
it was a town with 45,000 residents and had become known as the ville nouvelle. |
|
| The court remained at Versailles until the
revolution forced Louis XVI to return to Paris. In October of 1789, the king escaped
through a secret passageway to join his queen, Marie Antoinette, who had already escaped.
Versailles was ransacked during the revolution and fell into ruin, as did the park
and all its wonders. |
| In 1837, Versailles was declared a museum by the
Chamber of Deputies. Restoration began after World War I, underwritten by
Rockefeller and continued by the French government until 1952. Today, the palace
walls recount its magical history and receives nearly 5 million visitors a year. |
You are visitor  since February 1, 1999
|