Versailles was built under the leadership. Exterior architecture and interior design of the mansion. Location of Versailles

Royal Palace at Versailles is the main pearl of France, which is located just 20 km from Paris in small town. Exactly big Versailles castle served as a model for many European castles. The architectural and landscape masterpiece includes luxurious palace buildings and exquisite gardens with artificial and natural lakes. Versailles became a symbol of the power and authority of the French monarch Louis XIV.

Reasons for the construction of the royal palace in Versailles:

1. Due to the revolutionary movement, living in the royal family was dangerous.
2. ambition. In the 17th century, France was actively developing, becoming a new superpower. A powerful state needed a worthy political center, which became Versailles . Paris at that time was a provincial city.
3. Envy of the young king, which arose after Louis XIV saw the castle of Vaux-le-Vicomte Nicolas Fouquet. By the way, the owner of the castle was soon executed.

The palace at Versailles could simultaneously accommodate 10,000 people - of which 5,000 courtiers and 5,000 servants. The domestic policy of Louis XIV was the vigilant control of the aristocracy. Those courtiers who left the Palace of Versailles were forever deprived of royal grace and, as a result, property and ranks.

The best French masters were involved in the construction of the architectural and landscape complex: Louis Levo, Andre Le Nôtre, Charles Le Brun. In total, 25 million livres or 259.56 billion modern euros were spent from the state treasury. This is despite the fact that construction grand palace in France, it was carried out under extreme austerity, due to which some windows did not open and fireplaces did not work. In winter, living in the Palace of Versailles was uncomfortable.

Mirror Gallery, Palace of Versailles, France.

The Hall of Mirrors is rightly considered the most grandiose and impressive sight of the Palace of Versailles. The brilliant masters of the Renaissance embodied in him the ideas of absolutism. The hall amazes and delights with wealth and luxury. Every detail of the interior is generously decorated with gold. Huge mirrors, sculptures and numerous crystal chandeliers are harmoniously combined in a single ensemble.

Interestingly, it was in the Mirror Gallery that the famous Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919.

Royal Chapel, Versailles, France.

The Royal Chapel is located on the right side of the palace complex in Versailles. The gilded royal altar contrasts with the snow-white columns decorated with stucco. Exquisite bronze figures Greek gods immediately catch the eye. The chapel consists of 2 floors. Only monarchs had the right to climb to the upper tier.

An interesting fact: every second court lady dreamed of becoming the favorite of the loving Louis XIV. That is why the fair sex never missed a service.

Hall of Apollo, palace in Versailles, France.

The throne room was intended for ceremonial receptions of foreign delegations. In the evening, holidays were sometimes arranged here.

Salon of War, palace in Versailles, France.

Salon War is dedicated to the military triumph of France. The walls of the hall are decorated with canvases glorifying the legendary victories of the French.

Salon of Diana, palace in Versailles, France.

The interior of this salon is decorated with golden vaults and painted walls, antique sculptures and busts. Once in this hall there was a large billiard table, at which monarchs and courtiers had fun.

Queen's bedroom, Palace of Versailles, France.

The queen's bedroom is decorated with woven portraits, picturesque panels, stucco, and crystal chandeliers. Every detail of the decor is covered with the purest gold.

Interesting: in the 17th century, queens gave birth in public.

Bedroom of the king, palace in Versailles, France.

The extravagant king of France loved pomp and luxury most of all. This is exactly what his bedchamber is, located in the heart of the Palace of Versailles. The royal box is decorated with scarlet silk canopy.

The narcissistic monarch Louis XIV adored the theatre. And so he turned his whole life into a pompous performance, which was given with dignity on a magnificent stage - at the royal palace at Versailles!

The Palace of Versailles is located in the city of the same name, located 16 km southwest of Paris. Was a residence French kings Louis XIV, XV and XVI. Also here from May 6, 1682 to October 6, 1789 lived the French royal court.

The castle consists of many elements combined into architectural ensemble. It occupies more than 63 thousand square meters, consists of 2300 rooms, of which 1000 are museum premises today.

The park of the Palace of Versailles extends over 815 hectares (before the Revolution - 8,000 hectares), of which 93 hectares are gardens. It consists of several elements: the Petit and Grand Trianon (Napoleon I, Louis XVIII, Charles X, Louis-Philippe I and Napoleon III lived here), the queen's farm, the Grand and Small Canals, a menagerie (destroyed), a greenhouse and a water basin.

The first mention of the settlement of Versailles is found in 1038 in the charter of the abbey of Saint-Pere de Chartres. In 1561 Versailles with knight's castle sold to Martial Lomeny, secretary of finance under Charles IX.

Then the Italian favorite of Catherine de Medici, Count de Retz Albert de Gondi, becomes the owner of the lands and the castle.

In 1589, a month before becoming king of France, Genih IV, the king of Navarre stops at Versailles. Then he returns there in 1604 and 1609. to hunt. At the age of 6, the future king Louis XIII came here for the first time to hunt.

Versailles under Louis XIII

The king began to acquire possessions in Versailles from 1623. At that time, only one windmill stood on the site of the palace.

In 1623, Louis XIII, suffering from attacks of agoraphobia (fear of open spaces) and wanting spiritual rest, decides to build a modest stone and brick hunting pavilion on the top of the Versailles plateau, on the road between Versailles and Trianon. He buys the mill and the miller's house, which stood on this hill surrounded by swamps. Louis is personally present during the development of the architectural plan of the pavilion and the adjacent gardens. The building was modest and utilitarian. Together with the earthen ramparts and ditches surrounding it, it rather resembled an old feudal castle. From time to time, Queen Mother Marie de Medici and his wife, Queen Anne of Austria, visit Louis in this modest dwelling. True, always passing through, without spending the night, because the building did not provide for women's quarters. The royal chambers consisted of a small gallery where a painting depicting the siege of La Rochelle was hung out, four rooms where the walls were hung with carpets. The royal room occupied the center of the building, its placement later corresponds to the bedroom of Louis XIV.

In 1630, Cardinal Richelieu secretly came to Versailles to negotiate with the king on the occasion of excessive influence on the policy of the queen mother. This was the first important political event within the walls of the castle. Richelieu remained Prime Minister, and the Queen Mother was expelled.

In 1632, Louis XIII buys the possession of Versailles from Jean-Francois Gondi. A year before, work began on the expansion of the palace: small pavilions were added in each corner. In 1634, the wall surrounding the courtyard was replaced by a stone portico with six arcades with metal decorations. For the first time, the new castle receives a floral frame: the gardens are laid out in the French manner by Boisseau and Menur, decorated with arabesques and ponds. The facades are reinforced with brick and stone. In 1639, in front of the main facade of the castle, a promenade terrace with an ornamented balustrade was built. That castle corresponds to the modern part of the palace surrounding the famous Marble Court.

In 1643, Louis XIII dies, his four-year-old son, Louis XIV, ascends the throne, and the reins of government are transferred to the Queen Mother, Anna of Austria. Versailles ceases to be a royal residence for 18 years.

Versailles under Louis XIV

The royal family lives at this time in Paris. It is known that for the first time Louis XIV visited Versailles in 1641, where he was sent along with his younger brother during the chicken pox epidemic in, the site of the royal residence of that era.

Since 1651, the king has visited the castle several times during hunting trips. It was also during the hunting trip after his marriage to Maria Theresa of Austria in 1660 that the king took a real interest in his father's former residence. The first changes affected the garden. The king wanted to straighten out the shape and increase the area, as well as surround it with a wall.

In 1661, the artist Charles Errard was commissioned to put the rooms of the castle in order. Along with the changes in the composition of the royal family (the expectation of the birth of the future dauphin and the wedding of the king's brother) came the need to redistribute the rooms. The castle was divided into the chambers of the king and the prince, with separate staircases in the side wings. The staircase of Louis XIII in the center of the loggia is destroyed.

Serious work on changing the castle began in 1664. Initially, the castle was criticized by the court, especially its location: Versailles seemed an unsightly, sad place in which there was nowhere to look - no forests, no water, no earth, and around only sand and swamps.

Officially, the Louvre was still a royal residence. However, more and more often it was in Versailles that court holidays began to be arranged. The courtiers were able to "appreciate" the inconvenience of this small castle, because many of them could not find a roof to sleep on. The project to increase the area of ​​​​Ludovik instructed Le Vaux, who proposed several options: 1) destroy everything that was, and build a palace in this place in the Italian style; 2) leave the old hunting castle and surround it on three sides with new buildings, thus, as it were, enclosing it in a stone envelope. The king supported the preservation of the paternal house more from financial than sentimental motives. And Le Vaux increased the area of ​​​​the palace three times, elegantly decorated it, developing the theme of the sun, which is ubiquitous in Versailles. The king most of all liked the decoration of the garden by the sculptors Girardon and Le Hongre - in 1665 the first statues were installed, the Tethys grotto, a greenhouse, and a menagerie were built. Two years later, the construction of the Grand Canal began.

The second construction campaign began after the signing of a peace treaty between France and Spain. On this occasion, on July 18, 1668, a feast was organized, now known as "The Great Royal Amusements at Versailles". And again, not everyone could fit in the palace, which again led to the need to increase the building.

At this time, the palace begins to acquire features familiar to us. The most important innovation is the stone envelope, or new castle, which surrounded the castle of Louis XIII from the north, west and south. The new palace contained the new apartments of the king, queen and members of the royal family. The second floor was completely occupied by two chambers: the king (north side) and the queen (south side). On the first floor of the new palace, two apartments were also equipped: on the north side - the Bath Room, on the south - the apartments of the king's brother and his wife, the Duke and Duchess of Orleans. To the west, the terrace overlooked the gardens; it was demolished a little later so as not to interfere with the passage between the apartments of the king and queen. The famous Mirror Gallery was built in its place. On the third floor were the quarters of the other members. royal house and courtiers.

On the second floor there are Ionic columns, high rectangular windows, niches with sculptures and bas-reliefs. The third floor received the decor of the Corinthian order, a balustrade with trophies rose here.

After the conclusion of a peace treaty with Holland, the third campaign for the arrangement of Versailles began. Under the leadership of Jules Hardouin-Mansart, the palace took on a modern look. Mirror gallery with twin salons - the salon of War and the salon of Peace, the northern and southern wings ("Noble wing" and "Princes' wing"), further improvement of the garden - distinctive characteristics this era of the Sun King's reign.

Chronicle of construction:

1678:

- alteration of the facade in front of the gardens;

— in the Bath Room there are two bathtubs made of white marble with gilded bronze;

— start of work on laying out the Swiss pond and the Neptune basin, a new greenhouse;

1679:

- The Mirror Gallery, the Salon of War and the Salon of Peace replace the terrace and offices of the King and Queen;

— the central building from the side of the marble courtyard is increased by one floor; the new facade was decorated with a clock surrounded by statues of Mars Marcy and Hercules Girardon;

- Orbe begins construction of the second staircase - the Queen's Stairs, intended to become a pair to the Ambassadors' Stairs;

- Upon completion of work with the ministerial wings, the construction of the Large and Small stables was undertaken;

Work in the garden continues: more more statues and bosquets.

1681:

- Charles Le Brun finishes the decoration of the King's Grand Chambers;

- Marley's car starts pumping water from the Seine;

- dug Grand Canal and the Swiss Pond;

— the number of bosquets and fountains in the gardens has been increased.

1682:

In this year, the king decides that the court and the center of French political power should henceforth be located in Versailles. Thousands of people come to the palace: the royal family, courtiers, ministers, servants, employees, workers, merchants - everyone on whom the normal functioning of the castle and the state depends.

After the failure in the war against the League of Augsburg and under the influence of the pious Madame de Maintenon, Louis undertakes the last building campaign at Versailles (1699-1710). At this time, the last chapel (the modern Versailles chapel) was erected, built according to the plans of Jules Hardouin-Mansart, completed after his death by Robert de Côtes. In the palace itself, the royal chambers are expanding, work is being completed on the arrangement of the Oval Window salon and the king's bedroom.

Versailles under Louis XV

The next king of France - Louis XV - was born on February 15, 1710 in Versailles. After the death of his father in 1715, he moved with the regent to the Parisian residence - Palais-Royal.

In 1717, Russian Tsar Peter I visited Versailles and lived in the Grand Trianon.

In 1722, at the age of 12, Louis XV becomes engaged to the Spanish infanta Maria Anna Victoria, and the court returns to Versailles after 7 years spent in Vincennes, then in the Tuileries. Such a long absence of the owners led to the decline of the palace, so it took a lot of money to get it back to its former glory.

Under Louis XV, the salon of Hercules was equipped in the palace, the royal opera was added, and Neptune's pond appeared in the garden. The royal chambers have been drastically changed. The ceremonial chambers of the king were on the second floor. On the third floor, Louis arranged small chambers with an office for personal use.

In 1723, the Bath Room was redesigned: deer heads appeared on the facade of one of the courtyards, which is why the courtyard was nicknamed Deer. The initiative of the king showed his interest in hunting.

In 1729, work began on updating the decor of the queen's chambers, which lasted until 1735.

1736 - work was completed in the salon of Hercules. It is located on the site of the chapel, destroyed in 1710. The construction took place under the direction of Robert de Cotes, the decorator of the new royal chapel. The ceiling of the salon was painted by François Lemoine in 1733-1736. It depicts the Apotheosis of Hercules. On one of the walls hangs a huge canvas by Veronese "Supper at Simon the Pharisee", presented to Louis XIV in 1664 by the Venetian Republic. The grand opening of the salon took place in 1739 during a ball on the occasion of the wedding of the eldest son of the king with the Spanish infanta. Various ceremonial events were held in the salon: the wedding of the Duke of Chartres, the birth of the Dauphin, the reception of ambassadors from the Sultan.

1737 Louis XV remodels central part second floor along the Marble Court with north side in private quarters intended for living and working. The silk coverings of the royal chambers are being renewed. In the same year, the royal kennel was built.

1750 - appears in the palace new type royal rooms - a dining room for eating on returning from hunting.

1752 - the stairs of the Ambassadors, the small gallery and the Cabinet of Medals were destroyed. These glorious witnesses to the reign of Louis XIV are destroyed so that in their place the chambers of the eldest royal daughter appear.

1755 - The former Cabinet of the Sun King merges with the Cabinet of Thermae to form large saloon Council. Jules Antoine Rousseau makes wall paneling in gilded wood. Gabriel uses antique panels to decorate the walls. There is no gilding in the royal part of the palace: a variety of bright colors are used here for the statues, painted in a technique invented by Martin. The main "highlight" of the chambers is a small gallery near the Marble Court with paintings by Boucher, Carl van Loo, Pater and Parrosel, hung on multi-colored walls.

Louis XV had 8 princesses. In order to place them in the palace, various alterations were undertaken: the bathing chambers, the stairs of the Ambassadors, the partition of the Lower Gallery disappeared. After the chambers of the princesses were dismantled by Louis Philippe, but a few magnificent wall panels remained and demonstrate the luxury in which the ladies lived.

According to the tradition that appeared under Louis XIV, the crown prince and his wife lived in two chambers on the first floor under the queen's chambers and the Mirror Gallery. There was a magnificent decoration, lost in the 19th century. The only thing that survived is the Dauphin's bedroom and his library.

1761 - 1768 Ange-Jacques builds the Petit Trianon.

1770 - opening of the Royal Opera, the pinnacle of Gabriel's work. Construction work began in 1768, the grand opening took place simultaneously with the wedding of the crown prince, the grandson of the king, and Marie Antoinette of Austria. The opera building is designed in the rules of classical architecture with small inclusions of baroque. Two stone galleries lead to the opera: through one of them, the king got into the opera on the second floor of the palace. The plan of the hall was innovative for that time: it is a truncated oval, the traditional lodges are replaced by simple balconies one above the other. This arrangement is favorable for viewing and listening - the acoustics were excellent. In addition, the building was built of wood, and the hall resonated like a violin. The proportions are perfect, the colonnade on the fourth floor is delightful, the half-chandeliers are reflected in the mirrors to infinity, which gives elegance to the architecture. The decor is exceptionally sophisticated. The central plafond is painted by Louis-Jacques Duramo, it depicts Apollo distributing crowns to the Muses, and cupids are depicted on the twelve small plafonds of the colonnade. Their color scheme is in harmony with the color of the hall, painted in marble, with a predominance of green and Pyrenean marble (red with white veins). The bas-reliefs of the first row of lodges are made by Augustin Page, these are the profiles of the muses and graces on an azure background, the faces of the gods and goddesses of Olympus; on the second row of boxes - cupids, symbolizing the most famous operas, and the signs of the zodiac. Antoine Rousseau is the author of stage decorations with musical instruments and weapons. The opera stage, as was often the case in palace theaters, could be transformed into a spacious hall for a costume ball in 24 hours. Special mechanisms made it possible to raise the parquet of the parterre in order to elevate it to the level of the amphitheater and the stage. The stage of the Versailles Opera is one of the largest in France.

1771 - Gabriel presents to the king " great project» reconstruction of the facades of the palace from the side of the city. The project followed the rules of classical architecture. The king agreed, and in 1772 work began, but was not completed, but gave birth to the wing of Louis XV.

During this era, Versailles was the most luxurious royal palace in Europe. While Gabriel reconstructed, the brilliant and luxurious life of the court continued with balls and holidays. The aristocrats' favorite pastime was the theater, Voltaire's tragedies were especially appreciated. Louis XV destroyed several brilliant halls and buildings from his father's time, but he managed to create a magnificent interior decoration. The gardens and the Trianon were enriched by the French Pavilion and the Petit Trianon.

Versailles under Louis XVI

Under Louis XVI, the life of the court at Versailles continued, but financial difficulties increasingly began to affect it. Maintaining the palace in good condition cost money. In addition, renovation work was required - there were no amenities that were becoming familiar in that era (bathrooms, heating). Queen Marie Antoinette invested a lot of money in the arrangement of the Petit Trianon, which was one of the reasons for her unpopularity.

Upon accession to the throne, Louis XVI wants a rest room for himself. The choice falls on the library. Its decor is designed by Ange-Jacques Gabriel and executed by the sculptor Jules-Antoine Rousseau. Jean-Claude Kervel makes a large table from a monolith of wood, where Louis puts Sevres biscuits. Two globes - earth and sky - complement the decor in 1777.

1783 - The Gilded Cabinet is created. This room was conceived to store the collections of Louis XIV. Under Louis XV, it served as a room for exhibiting the royal gold service, hence one of its names - “gold service cabinet”. Then she was attached to the chambers of the daughter of Louis XV Adelaide, and she became a music salon, where Adelaide took harp lessons from Beaumarchais. Mozart played there for the royal family in 1763. Under Louis XVI, the room again becomes an exhibition hall. In 1788, he placed his own acquisition there - the Butterfly Study.

Versailles after the Bourbons

Versailles witnessed the apogee of Bourbon royalty and their downfall. It was in Versailles that the meeting of the Estates General took place in 1789, which gave rise to the French Revolution. On October 5, 1789, the Parisians advanced on Versailles, captured it and brought the royal family to Paris. The palace was abandoned.

In 1791, paintings, mirrors and emblems of the king were pulled from the walls and ceilings. Works of art were transferred to the Louvre, which became central museum in 1792

In 1793-1796. the furniture of the palace was sold out. The most beautiful interior items went to England to Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.

The revolutionary government at one time was going to destroy the palace. The poor people tore out the flowers in the garden to plant potatoes and onions in their place. The Petit Trianon turned into a tavern, and revolutionaries sat in the Opera House and the royal chapel.

For some time the castle served as a warehouse for property confiscated from aristocrats. In 1795 it becomes a museum.

Under Napoleon, the palace was transferred to the imperial property. Napoleon arrives and decides to settle in the Grand Trianon. And again, improvement work began: in 1806, a series of tapestries were ordered for the palace and statues were ordered from museums. Numerous plans for the improvement and alteration of the palace under Napoleon could not be implemented.

After the Restoration, Louis XVIII undertook a series of works with the aim of turning the palace into his summer residence. However, he understands that living in Versailles will reflect badly on his image, and refuses the idea.

In 1833, King Louis-Philippe entrusts his minister, Camille Baschasson, with the task of turning the palace into a museum of French history, dedicated to the military victories of the Ancien Régime, the French Revolution, the Empire and the Restoration. The restoration of the palace was undertaken by the architect Pierre Fontaine. For his personal use, Louis-Philippe orders to put in order Grand Trianon. In 1837, the wedding of his daughter, Princess Mary, is celebrated there.

For the museum of military glory of France in the southern wing of the palace, instead of the prince's chambers, the Batal Gallery is arranged, striking in its size (120 m long and 13 wide). It was adorned with 32 huge paintings celebrating the victories of France from the Battle of Tolbiac in 496 to the Battle of Wagram in 1809. The paintings of Horace Vernet were the most sought after.The museum has become very popular.

During the Second Empire, a hall was added to the museum in honor of the victories in the Crimean and Italian campaigns. Napoleon III maintained the palace in good condition. And Empress Eugenia contributed to the partial return of the original furniture.

In 1870, France was defeated by the Prussian troops, and Versailles became the headquarters of the Prussian headquarters during the siege of Paris. A hospital is located in the Hall of Mirrors; The Crown Prince of Prussia rewards his officers at the statue of Louis XIV. Versailles proclaims the birth of the German Empire.

In 1871, the control of France passes to the Paris Commune, its administrative bodies are located in Versailles. The National Assembly meets in the former royal opera, 23,000 prisoners are brought to the greenhouse, many of whom are executed in the park. In 1879, the parliament moved to Paris, but until 2005, both chambers retained their premises in Versailles.

An important role in the preservation of Versailles was played by the historian Pierre de Nolyac, who was appointed guardian of the palace in 1887. By that time, the palace and gardens had been desolate for 20 years, so that even the names of the ponds were forgotten. Nolyak plans to equip a real historical Museum organized according to all the rules of science. He seeks to return the palace to its pre-revolutionary appearance. high society rushes to the opening of the new Versailles. Nolyak invites foreign guests, arranges receptions for potential patrons.

On June 28, 1919, an agreement was signed in Versailles to end the First World War, called the Treaty of Versailles. The place was not chosen by chance: France was waiting for revenge after a humiliating defeat in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870.

The palace and gardens suffer from a lack of finances. In 1924 and 1927, John Davison Rockefeller donated to the restoration of palace art works and fountains. The nobility of the American millionaire prompted the French government to allocate budget money for restoration.

During the Second World War, the Germans again had the palace.

In the post-war period, the curator of Versailles, Moricho-Beaupré, is once again concerned with raising funds for the restoration of the palace and park. In 1952, he addresses the French on the radio: “To say that Versailles is in ruins is to say that western culture loses one of his pearls. This is a masterpiece, the loss of which will be a loss not only for French art, but also for the image of France, which lives in each of us and which cannot be replaced by anything else.” The call was heard, many French people took part in raising funds for the restoration of Versailles.

Versailles becomes state palace at the disposal of the president. It hosts foreign heads of state, such as John F. Kennedy in 1961, Elizabeth II in 1957 and 1972, the Shah of Iran in 1974, Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985 and Boris Yeltsin in 1992. In 1959 General de Gaulle is undertaking work on the reconstruction of the Grand Trianon for the residence of foreign guests; one wing is assigned to the French president. In 1999, these rooms are refurbished to their original state.

The history of Versailles in a mini-movie:

1. from the Louis to the Revolution -

2. after the Revolution -

3. Versailles gardens -

Only representatives of the royal family have always had the right to die in the chambers of the Palace of Versailles. But for the sake of the Marquise de Pompadour, who was the official favorite, friend and adviser of Louis XV, dedicated to almost all the secrets of Versailles, the king made an exception.

She was smart, prudent, did not let the ruler get bored and relied on his passion for art, inviting the most famous and interesting people of that time to the palace - Montesquieu, Voltaire, Buffon and others. his dirty work, undermining health, and destroying beauty.

She died at the age of forty-three in the palace chambers and was buried in Paris near her daughter. They say that when the funeral procession headed for the capital, the king, standing on one of the balconies of Versailles in the pouring rain, said: “Well, you chose terrible weather so that in last time take a walk, ma'am." There was a deep sadness behind this joke.

The Palace of Versailles is located in one of the most respectable cities in France, Versailles, twenty kilometers from Paris in a southwest direction, at the address: Place d'Armes, 78000 Versailles. On geographical map of the world, this unique architectural monument can be found at the following coordinates: 48 ° 48 ′ 15.85 ″ s. w, 2° 7′ 23.38″ in. d.

The history of Versailles began when Louis XIV saw the castle of the Minister of Finance Vaux-le-Vicomte, which in beauty, scale and grandeur far surpassed such royal residences as the Louvre and Tuilre. Such a "king-sun" could not stand, and therefore decided to build a castle, which would be a symbol of his absolute power. He chose the city of Versailles for the construction of a new royal residence not by chance: just recently the Fronde uprising took place in France, and therefore living in the capital seemed to him quite dangerous.

Palace construction

The construction of the palace began in 1661 and more than 30 thousand builders were involved in the work (in order to increase the number of workers, Louis banned all private construction in the vicinity of the city, and in peacetime soldiers and sailors were sent to the construction site). Despite the fact that literally everything was saved during construction, a huge amount of money was eventually spent - 25 million lira or 19.5 tons of silver (almost 260 billion euros). And this, despite the fact that building materials were sold to the king at the lowest prices, and the expenses of the performers, if they exceeded the estimate, were not paid.

Despite the fact that it was officially opened in 1682, construction work did not stop there, and the palace complex was constantly growing due to the construction of new buildings until the French Revolution of 1789. The first architect of this unique monument of Baroque architecture was Louis Le Vaux, who was later replaced by Jules Hardouin-Monsart. For the design of the parks, which was carried out simultaneously with the construction of the palace, Andre Le Nôtre was responsible, and for interior decoration- royal painter Lebrun.

The work was complex: first it was necessary to drain the swamps, cover them with earth, sand and stones, and then level the soil and create terraces. Instead of the village located there, it was necessary to equip the city, where the courtiers, servants and guards were to settle.

In parallel with this, work was going on in the gardens. Given that Louis XIV was called the "Sun King", Le Nôtre planned the park of Versailles in such a way that its alleys, when viewed from the upper floors of the palace, diverge from the center, like the rays of the sun. On initial stage It was necessary to dig channels and build a water pipe, which was originally intended to supply water to fountains and artificial waterfalls.

Considering that more than fifty fountains and ponds needed to be provided with water, this work was not easy - and the aqueduct, which was originally built, was not enough. In the end, after numerous trials and attempts, a hydraulic system was created, in which water came from the Seine flowing nearby.

Louis XIV died without completing his building in 1715, and after his death, Louis XV, who was then only five years old, and with him the whole court, left for the city of Paris for some time. True, he did not stay there for long, after seven years he returned to Versailles and after a while ordered to continue construction work.

One of the significant changes he made to the layout was the demolition of the Ambassadors' Staircase, the only ceremonial road leading to the Great Royal Apartments - this he did in order to build rooms for his daughters. He completed work on the opera house and, at the insistence of his mistress, Madame Pompadour, built the Petit Trianon.

IN last years In his lifetime, Louis XV was engaged in the reconstruction of facades: according to one project, these were supposed to be works from the courtyards of the castle, in another way, it was supposed to create facades in the classical style from the side of the city. It should be noted that this project lasted an extremely long time and was completed only at the end of the last century.

Description of Versailles

Experts say that the castle of Versailles was a place where the monarchs, and with them the royal court, rested on a grand scale, weaved intrigues, conspiracies and created numerous secrets of Versailles. This tradition was founded by Louis XIV - and it was successfully continued by his descendants, and reached special proportions under Marie Antoinette, who was very fond of having fun with the courtiers and creating the history of France, intriguing and creating the secrets of Versailles.

In the final version, the total area of ​​the palace premises, not including the park, was about 67,000 square meters. 25 thousand windows, 67 stairs, 372 statues were installed in it.

This is the main building in which several generations of French rulers lived. Officially, one could get into the castle through the main entrance - cast-iron lattice gates decorated with gold with the royal coat of arms and crown. In front of the main facade of the castle, from the side of the Mirror Gallery, two equally elongated pools lined with granite slabs were installed.

On the right side of the entrance, a two-story royal chapel(the second tier was intended for the monarch and members of his family, the courtiers were below). In the northern part were Large apartments king, consisting of seven salons, in the south - the chambers of the first ladies.

In total, Versailles has about seven hundred rooms for various purposes. The throne room of the palace was called the Salon of Apollo - here the monarch received foreign ambassadors, and in the evening theatrical performances and musical performances were often staged here.

One of the most famous rooms is the Mirror Gallery, which has always played an important role in the life of the palace: significant receptions were held here, for which a silver throne was installed, as well as balls and magnificent festivities (for example, a royal wedding). The courtiers crowded here, waiting for the king, when he was heading to the chapel - this was a great opportunity to petition him.

The mirror gallery has always looked remarkable: its seventeen window openings, made in the form of an arch, overlook the garden, between them there are huge mirrors that visually enlarge the space (in total, the gallery has 357 mirrors). The ceiling is extremely high, about 10.5 meters, and the room itself is 73 meters long and 11 meters wide. Since many mirrors are placed opposite windows, the gallery appears to have windows on both sides. It is interesting that until 1689 the furniture here was made of pure silver, but then it was melted down into coins that covered military expenses.

Grand Trianon

Castle in classical style, lined with pink marble. Monarchs were used for a wide variety of purposes: from meetings with favorites to hunting.

Small Trianon

The palace is a transition from the Rococo style to classicism and was built on the initiative of one of the favorites of Louis XV, the Marquise de Pompadour. True, she died a few years before the end of construction, and therefore another favorite, Countess Dubarry, lived in it. When Louis XVI became king, he gave the castle to Marie Antoinette, where she rested from palace life (even the king had no right to come here without her permission).

Some time later, next to this palace, the queen built small village with thatched roof houses, windmill- in a word, as she imagined the life of the peasants.

Park and gardens

The Palace of Versailles and the park are two inseparable concepts. The gardens of Versailles consist of a huge number of terraces, which gradually decrease as they move away from the castle. They occupy an area of ​​about one hundred hectares, and this whole territory is absolutely flat and it is impossible to find any small mound on it.

There are several palace buildings here, among them - the Grand and Small Trianon, the Empress's theater, the Belvedere, the Temple of Love, the French pavilion, the grotto, and also provided viewing platforms, alleys, sculptures, a system of fountains and canals, because of which the gardens of Versailles were nicknamed "little Venice".

The further fate of Versailles

For about a hundred years, the Palace of Versailles was the residence of the French kings. So, it was until, as a result of the uprising of 1789, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were arrested and redirected to the city of Paris, where after a while they laid their heads on the guillotine. After that, the Palace of Versailles almost immediately ceased to be an administrative and political center France, and he himself was plundered, as a result of which many masterpieces were hopelessly lost.

When Bonaparte came to power, he took the castle under his protection and ordered to start developing a plan to restore the palace complex (furniture from Fontainebleau and the Louvre was brought for this). True, all plans failed, and his empire collapsed. This only benefited Versailles, because the Bourbons returned to power, who began to actively restore the castle, and then transferred it to the museum.

The role of the castle in the life of society was not limited to this, and the secrets of Versailles continued to be created on its sidelines: when the Germans captured Versailles during the Franco-Prussian war, they placed the main headquarters here, and proclaimed the German Empire in the Mirror Gallery. Here, a month later, they signed a peace treaty with France, after which the French government sat in the palace for some time.

After the end of the First World War, the French, in order to take revenge on the Germans, in the Mirror Gallery forced them to sign the Treaty of Versailles. But forty years after World War II, the French-German reconciliation took place in the Palace of Versailles. After the war, the French began to collect money everywhere to restore the castle, and over time, many lost values ​​\u200b\u200breturned to Versailles, UNESCO added it to its list, and at the beginning of the twenty-first century it joined the Association of European Royal Residences.

How to get to Versailles

Those wishing to get to Versailles on their own should take into account that on Mondays the Palace of Versailles is closed for visiting. In addition, knowledgeable people do not recommend going here on Sunday, when the French have a day off, and Tuesday - on this day, most of the museums in Paris are closed, and therefore many people come here. In order to avoid queues, it is better to arrive early in the morning or between 15.30 and 16.00.

Anyone who wants to get to this architectural monument on their own must first get to Paris, which is the closest major city to Versailles. Then there are several options: you can get to the Palace of Versailles by train or by bus.

Next, you need to get to railway station and sit on one of the three railway routes"Versailles Paris" (the journey will take about forty minutes). If you use line C, you should take into account that the train leaves from here every fifteen minutes, and you will need to pay about 2.5 euros for a ticket. But the trip from the Paris Saint Lazare station will cost one euro more. In addition, once an hour to the city where the residence of the kings is located, there is a train from the Paris Montparnasse station.

Those wishing to travel by bus to Versailles on their own can be advised to use route number 171, the stop of which is located at the Pont de Servres station at the final station of the ninth metro line. In this case, the journey will take about thirty-five minutes, and the ticket will cost less - about one and a half euros.

The Palace of Versailles was political capital France for over a century and home to the royal court from 1682 to 1789. Today the palace complex is one of the most popular tourist attractions.

Myths and facts

Shrouded in many legends, Versailles became a symbol of the absolute monarchy of Louis XIV. According to legend, the young king decided to build a new palace outside the city, as the Louvre in Paris was not safe at that time. And since 1661, in the city of Versailles, now a suburb of Paris, Louis began the transformation of a modest hunting lodge to the sparkling palace. To do this, it was necessary to drain more than 800 hectares of swamps (the entire territory occupied by the complex), where entire forests were transferred to create 100 hectares of gardens, alleys, flower beds, lakes and fountains.

The Palace of Versailles served as the political center of France. It became home to 6,000 courtiers! Louis XIV lulled his subjects with lavish entertainment and royal favors. So Louis tried to get away from the political intrigues of Paris, so he created a place where the aristocracy could live under his watchful eye. The grandiose size of the palace and the wealth on display demonstrated the absolute power of the monarch.

The construction of the palace required about 30,000 workers and 25 million livres, which in total amounted to 10,500 tons of silver (according to experts, in modern money, this amount is 259.56 billion euros). This is despite the fact that the construction was carried out with extreme economy and according to the most low prices, because of which many fireplaces subsequently did not work, windows did not close, and it was extremely uncomfortable to live in the palace in winter. But the nobles were forced to live under the supervision of Louis, as those who left the Palace of Versailles lost their ranks and privileges.

What to see

The architectural complex embodied the ideas of absolutism - ideally calculated, lined with a ruler. In the main building are the Great Halls and Bedrooms, decorated by Charles Lebrun with ostentatious luxury. Every corner, ceiling and walls of the palace are covered with detailed and marble, decorated with frescoes, paintings, sculptures, velvet draperies, silk carpets, gilded bronze and tinted glass. These salons are dedicated to Greek deities such as Hercules and Mercury. The room of Apollo, god of the sun, Louis chose as the throne room of the Sun King (as Louis XIV was called in France).

The most spectacular of all is the Hall of Mirrors. On the wall 70 meters long there are 17 huge mirrors with gilded lamp sculptures between them. In those days, carefully polished brass or metal was still used as mirrors in France. Especially for the construction of the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, the French Minister of Finance, brought Venetian workers to start the production of mirrors in France.

It was here, in the Hall of Mirrors, that the famous Versailles Treaty between Germany and the Allied Powers was signed in 1919, which decided the fate of the post-war. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette married in 1770 in the white and gold baroque chapel. The Palace of Versailles is also famous for its opera and theater with a huge oval hall lit by 10,000 candles.

No less interesting is the surroundings of the palace. It took legions of workers and genius to create the gardens at Versailles landscape designer Andre Le Nôtre, who embodied the standard of French classicism. The palace park, even during construction, tried to copy the monarchs, (),. But no one has been able to surpass the scope and beauty of the Versailles park.

The central axis of the garden is the Grand Canal, 1.6 km long, with a western orientation, so that the setting sun is reflected in the water surface. Geometrically trimmed trees, flower beds, paths, ponds and lakes are planted around it. By the time construction was completed, the park had 1,400 fountains. The most impressive of them is the chariot - another monument to the glory of the Sun King.

Groves stretch along the sides of the alleys, where the courtiers danced in summer time against the background of garden stones, shells and decorative lamps. Marble and bronze statues line the paths. In winter, more than 3,000 trees and shrubs were transferred to the greenhouse of Versailles.

Two smaller palaces stand on opposite side garden. Louis XIV built the pink marble Great Trianon as a break from the etiquette of court life ("Trianon" means a place for solitude, a quiet pastime). In the main palace, for example, the king used to dine alone in front of hundreds of spectators. Solemn dinners were held strictly according to the protocol of the corresponding rank. For the preparation of constant banquets in the palace, 2,000 workers were kept in the kitchen.

The Petit Trianon was a love nest built by Louis XV for Madame du Barry. Later, this neoclassical mini-palace appealed to Marie Antoinette, who also wanted to hide from the rigid formality in the main palace. Nearby, for the entertainment of Marie Antoinette, a tiny village with a dairy farm was built. Small houses with thatched roofs, a water mill and lakes corresponded to the royal fantasy of peasant life.

Ironically, the lavish gifts and frivolity of this queen, after such a costly construction of the palace complex, practically liquidated the treasury of France and led to the fall of the royal monarchy in 1789.

If you expect to spend the whole day here, it is better to purchase a combined ticket for 21.75 euros, which includes travel and admission to all and parks of the complex. You will find similar combined offers in the castles of Fontainebleau, d "Over and the Louvre. Do not forget to visit, whose popularity can only compete with.

The Palace of Versailles (Château de Versailles) is open from April to October: from 9.00 to 18.30 daily, except Mondays (tickets close at 17.50). The garden is open daily from 8.00 to 20.30. In winter: from 9.00 to 17.30. Garden - until 18.00.

Cost: 15 euros (including the use of an audio guide in one of 10 languages). School-age children and EU students - 13 euros. Every first Sunday in winter, admission to the museum is free.
A complex ticket costs 18 euros (visiting the palace, the Small and Big Trianons). During the Musical and Fountain Festivals, the cost complex ticket 25 euros.
How to get there: by metro to the station Versailles-Rive Gauche, located 15 minutes. walk.
Official site:

Versailles, probably everyone has heard this word and know what it is. The Palace of Versailles became the first royal palace of the New Age and served as a prototype for the construction of palaces throughout Europe and in St. Petersburg as well. Peter I visited Versailles palace and park complex and was amazed at its luxury and size. After returning, he gave instructions to build palaces similar to Versailles.

Getting to Versailles is very easy, as it is a very visited tourist site, everything is thought out. The RER train takes you to the final station - Versailles. From where we settled, just one stop 1.5 euros however. The trains are double-decker, there is no air conditioning, it's hot in the car, but one stop is almost nothing. The ticket office is located across the street from the station building.

Tickets are varied, it is better to use the data of the official website of Versailles. An adult ticket to the Palace of Versailles, the park and the Grand Trianon and the village of Marie Antoinette is 20 euros, children under 18 are free, but the site lists all privileged categories, preferential days and incomplete tickets are indicated, it is possible to buy a ticket directly on the site and avoid the queue. There is a ticket for two days good offer, since the palace and the park are simply huge, it is very difficult to do everything in one day and it is physically difficult.

Queues at Versailles during the high season

In total, the queue for tickets took about 20 minutes, humanely, but what we saw when approaching the palace struck our imagination, there were just a sea of ​​people. Let me remind those who forgot we were there in mid-July in the midst of the heat (+32 and the scorching sun) and the tourist season. There were treacherous thoughts, maybe he could hand over the ticket and, well, this Versailles, but we suppressed this idea and courageously stood in line.

In total, the queue for the entrance took an hour and a half in the sun. This was hard. All this queue gathered due to the fact that they were checking tickets and forcing everyone to hand over backpacks and large bags to the lockers, suspicious persons were driven through the gates like at the airport.

Then we stood in the Marble Court for another 30 minutes for audio guides in Russian, included in the ticket price. There was a terrible crowd in the palace, we can say that a stream of people carries you through the exposition and it is quite hot, there are no air conditioners, the windows are open, it is probably better for people with poor health not to visit the palace under such circumstances.

Our ten-year-old boy has become addicted to the audio guide. Each room has a sign with a number that you need to dial on the audio guide in order to listen to the recording about this particular room. He looked for the sign and announced the number to everyone. The new generation loves to push buttons, without this game they would probably be bored.

Everything, I finished with a sad, let's finally proceed to inspect all this splendor.

Courtyards of the Palace of Versailles

This is the first, but not the last monument to Louis XIV, who welcomes guests on the square in front of the Palace of Versailles. The sculpture was installed after the death of the Sun King.

The palace contains a great many images of Louis, both sculptural and artistic. The Sun King was the most revered European monarch of the 17th century, and the magnificent exaltation of his own power became the most important part of his policy. The Palace of Versailles also played a significant role in this.

The front yard of the palace is already densely packed with suffering tourists. There you can buy souvenirs from Afro French cheaper than in Paris.

Beyond the gate begins the royal court. People of all nationalities yearn to visit this magnificent palace and park.

And here is a very long line, it occupies the entire royal court and curls like a snake. Under umbrellas, people are saved from the scorching sun.

In the Marble Court there was a queue for audio guides, but it was already much smaller and the landscape had changed, in general it became more fun. In the Marble Court, you can see the earliest buildings of the palace, belonging to the Castle of Louis XIII, the father of the Sun King.

Many people remember Louis XIII from the film and the novel of the same name by Dumas "The Three Musketeers". He and Anna of Austria had no children for 22 years, all of France prayed to God to send the king an heir and a miracle finally happened, the future Louis XIV was born. All of France adored this child, and the parents simply doted on the soul. But unfortunately the king died when the boy was only 5 years old, Anna of Austria and Cardinal Mazarin were involved in his upbringing and did well in this, judging by the result.

Finally, after more than 2 hours of queues, we got to the palace. The exposition on the first floor tells how Versailles turned from a small hunting castle into the largest and most magnificent royal residence in Europe.

A little history of the construction of the Palace of Versailles

The history of Versailles begins in 1624. Louis XIII (life years 1601-1643, reigned from 1610) ordered the construction of a small castle among the forests in the west of Paris in order to use it during the royal hunt.

Construction took two hundred years. The construction and development of the surrounding territory reached its greatest scope during the reign of Louis XIV, but I would not want to belittle the contribution of Louis XV and Louis XVI.

The scale of construction, finishing and landscape works is impressive. For the manufacture of tapestries alone, a whole royal manufactory "Tapestry" was created under the direction of Charles Le Brun with eight hundred workers.

Interesting monkeys on goats, unfortunately I forgot what they symbolize.

The palace model demonstrates well giant size palace. Louis XIV was not as simple as it seems at first glance. His childhood was spent in the constant uprisings of the Frondists, the presumptuous French nobility. In order to discourage the nobility from revolts, conspiracies and intrigues, he decided to keep the nobility at court, i.e. in plain sight and entertain her with large-scale celebrations, theatrical performances, dinners and the distribution of royal favours.

The lavish celebrations held at Versailles are still legendary. The most outstanding holiday, went down in history under the name "Fun magical island”, was held in May 1664. The king personally took part in the preparation of this grandiose event, the theatrical production for this was invented by Moliere himself, familiar to us from the school curriculum. The king spent breathtaking sums on holidays, thereby encouraging the development of crafts and arts.

We must not forget that in those days, the monarch was for his people the viceroy of God on earth and the average Frenchman loved his king to self-forgetfulness, which, however, did not prevent the revolutionaries from cutting off the head of Louis XVI in 1793.

The King's Chapel embodies the idea of ​​the divinity of the king's power.

Another statue of the Sun King. This is the nickname of the Sun King, Louis came up with himself in his youth to participate in the tournament, and it stuck with him for his whole life and has come down to us. For the monarch, like the sun, is unique, like the sun shines and warms his subjects with his warmth, moves smoothly and calmly.

The halls of the palace are decorated with magnificent paintings by the most famous artists of that time, gold and marble, luxury and fabulous wealth all around.

The king had an active life position, as we would put it now, he personally took part in the construction of the palace, and also controlled the finishing work. In addition, he was the first to abolish the role of the first minister at court and became the actual, and not nominal, ruler of the country.

Ceilings are worthy of attention, something always hangs from them. Even the neck gets tired from the continuous examination of the ceilings.

All these numerous images of Louis XIV in different costumes and roles were designed to amaze the numerous guests of the palace and ambassadors of foreign states with the grandeur of the monarch of France.

Artists portrayed their monarch in the images of ancient heroes and gods, in those days all artists and sculptors were fond of antiquity and sought to imitate the masters of antiquity, inevitably bringing something of their own.

There are 328 medallions depicting Louis in the palace. The cult of personality of the Sun King on the face. But it was precisely this policy that led to the extraordinary flourishing of France, the years of the reign of Louis XIV are considered the golden age. When power is concentrated in strong hands alone, petty civil strife ceases and all the forces of the people go to the development of the country.

The king's bedroom is all trimmed with gold brocade. In the Palace of Versailles, a whole set of rules of conduct for courtiers and the king was adopted - court etiquette. In which the ritual of the morning toilet of the king, the ritual of the breakfast of the king, the ritual of dinner, and so on, were described in great detail. It was described which courtiers were entitled to participate in each of the rituals, in what order, in general, mortal boredom and no privacy.

By the end of the ceremonial of the king's morning dress, those who were allowed to attend the morning reception, such as princes of the blood, readers of the king, and educators of the heir, could enter him.

That. it is clear that the life of the king was not easy, he was the center of attention of crowds of courtiers who pursued their goals, trying to get a new rank or other privileges all day long from morning to evening.

Bedroom of the Queen of France

Three queens of France have lived in succession in the queen's bedroom. Marie-Theresa is the wife of Louis XIV, then Maria Leshchinskaya is the wife of Louis XV, and the unfortunate Marie Antoinette is the wife of Louis XVI. Naturally, the interior was updated with each new hostess, now the appearance of the room has been recreated, as it was on the last day of Marie Antoinette's presence there.

It must be admitted that the life of the queen was quite difficult by our standards. The wife of Louis XIV gave birth to 19 children, 12 of whom died in childhood. In addition, the king always had mistresses and they lived right there in the palace, it was not uncommon for the king's favorites to have more rooms, servants and jewelry than the queen. And the queen, with all this, should always look pleased and smile, and praise her crowned husband. In truth, the queen had to have angelic patience to endure all this.

Salon "Big Appliance"

The Great Appliance Salon got its name from the fact that the king and queen dined here in public. You can imagine the king's dinner scene from The Three Musketeers to get into the mood.

Mirror Gallery (Galeries de Glace)

This is the most famous hall of the Palace of Versailles, truly magnificent. Previously, courtiers slowly walked along it, admiring the view of the park through huge windows, and now crowds of tourists are walking along the same windows, I wonder who was more, courtiers then or tourists now?

The French are resourceful, painting the mirror hall of the Palace of Versailles, they decorate the ceilings of electric trains following to Versailles and unobtrusive advertising of this palace complex and a pleasant design of electric trains in one solution.

Museum of the History of France

The Museum of the History of France was created during the time of King Louis Philippe (life years 1773-1850), who was nicknamed the King of the French. His chambers were preserved in, which we visited two days earlier.

On the walls of this gallery are depicted all the most significant battles in the history of France, starting from King Clovis I, the Merovingian dynasty (born about 466, died 511). You could probably write a whole book about this room alone. Explanations for some paintings are in the audio guide.