Palace of Versailles

Palace of Versailles, former French royal residence and centre of government, now a national landmark. It is located in the city of Versailles, Yvelines département, Île-de-France région, northern France, 10 miles (16 km) west-southwest of Paris. As the centre of the French court, Versailles was one of the grandest theatres of European absolutism.

The original residence was primarily a hunting lodge and private retreat for Louis XIII (reigned 1610–43) and his family. In 1624 the king entrusted Jacques Lemercier with the construction of a château on the site. Its walls are preserved today as the exterior facade overlooking the Marble Court.

Under the guidance of Louis XIV (reigned 1643–1715), the residence was transformed (1661–1710) into an immense and extravagant complex surrounded by stylized French and English gardens. Every detail of its construction was intended to glorify the king. The additions were designed by such renowned architects as Jules Hardouin-Mansart, Robert de Cotte, and Louis Le Vau. Charles Le Brun oversaw the interior decoration. Landscape artist André Le Nôtre created symmetrical French gardens that included ornate fountains with “magically” still water, expressing the power of humanity—and, specifically, the king—over nature.

Until Louis XIV’s time, the town of Versailles comprised but a few houses to the south of the present Place d’Armes. However, land was given to the lords of the court, and new buildings sprang up, chiefly in the north quarter. The Palace of Versailles was declared the official royal residence in 1682 and the official residence of the court of France on May 6, 1682, but it was abandoned after the death of Louis XIV in 1715. In 1722, however, it was returned to its status as royal residence. Further additions were made during the reigns of Louis XV (1715–74) and Louis XVI (1774–92). Following the French Revolution, the complex was nearly destroyed.

After the peace with Germany and while the Commune was triumphant in Paris, Versailles was the seat of the French National Assembly. It housed the two chambers of the parliament until 1879, and during that period Versailles was the official capital of France. After World War I the treaty between the Allies and Germany was signed in the Hall of Mirrors on June 28, 1919. The Treaty of Trianon, ending the war between the Allies and Hungary, was concluded on June 4, 1920, in the Cotelle Gallery in the Grand Trianon. After World War II the palace was occasionally used for plenary congresses of the French parliament or as housing for visiting heads of state, but its primary utility lay in tourism.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Palace-of-Versailles/History

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