It took just under 60 years to turn the Chateau de Versailles from Louis XIII's modest hunting lodge into the spectacular palace of the Court of France. In that time, from 1624-1683, and until 1789, the estate became the epitome of opulence throughout Europe. Much of it was imitated but never matched. On May 6, 1682, the Château de Versailles became the official residence, replacing the palace at the Louvre. Born out of the will of a "Sun King," Versailles, a wealthy suburb 17 kms. from Paris, has a rational and symmetrical grid of streets. For the standards of the 18th century, it was a very modern European city, and was used as a model for the building of Washington DC by Pierre Charles L'Enfant. Seat of the political power, Versailles naturally became the cradle of the French Revolution. The Estates-General met in Versailles on May 5, 1789. Eventually, a throng from Paris invaded the castle and forced Louis XVI and his royal family to move back to Paris. The Palace drew visitors right from the days of Louis XIV. The museum now receives three million visitors per year, while the grounds attract an estimated six million. The great and famous have always been among such visitors: Peter the Great of Russia (1717), Benjamin Franklin (1766 and 1778), Gustav III of Sweden (1783), Queen Victoria (1842), etc. A whole day's tour took me only to the Grand Apartment and its seven salons named after the planets, the Hall of Mirrors (the most famous of the Chateau's rooms, where the <b>...</b>
France
Paris
Versailles
Louis
XIV
