Where is Versailles? History and secrets of Versailles

May 14, 1643 the king of France was proclaimed Louis XIV. The era of his rule went down in history as a time of military force, political consciousness and cultural upsurge. The great monarch is especially known as the customer of the most beautiful palace in the world. The King's credit is that today everyone knows where Versailles is and what it is. But what is known about this very monumental structure? It will be interesting to get acquainted with its history and to touch those legends that he witnessed. Moreover, France was famous for its intrigues and palace secrets throughout Europe.

From an unknown village to the center of the country

The Louvre is now one of the most prestigious museums in the world, and once it served as a home for the French monarchs. It was within its walls that important agreements were signed and complex interstate issues were resolved. Partially there passed the childhood of Louis XIV. But the man has never been particularly fond of either Paris or the Louvre.

The official reason for the transfer of the residence was the King's fear for his life. He claimed that he felt himself in constant danger in the capital, so the new palace would be a suburb of Paris. Then, in 1661, no one had any idea where Versailles was. But a few years later the glory of the brilliant residence of the Sun King spread all over Europe.

The first time about these regions is mentioned in 1038. For more than five hundred years the place was just a tiny settlement, overgrown with forests and covered with impenetrable swamps. There was a lot of game on these lands, and the father of Louis XIV liked to hunt there. On his initiative in 1623 a hunting house was built on one of the glades. There Louis XIII, nicknamed the Just, often rested with his son.

The first stone is laid - envy

Despite the statements about the danger that the Louvre carries, the courtiers knew perfectly well the true reason for the erection of the new residence.

The history of Versailles began on August 17, 1661. It was on this evening, 55 kilometers from Paris, that Finance Minister Nicolas Fouquet organized a reception in honor of the housewarming party. The new house was the castle of Vaux-le-Vicomte with gardens of unparalleled beauty. The palace immediately took the position of leader and ... overtook the Louvre. Unheard of impudence!

The celebration was attended by Louis XIV. He was struck by the greatness and wealth of the estate, moreover - it evoked envy. Another unpleasant moment was the owner's pride. The same evening, without waiting for the feast to end, the king informed the architects Louis Levau, Jules Arduin-Mansar and the park planner Andre Lenotru, who worked on the project Vaux-le-Vicomte, that from this moment they are under his direction. Their task is to create an object that will be worthy of His Majesty. It was these three people who were the first to know where Versailles is.

The first obstacles

Masters were friends and understood each other with a half-word. The demand that the King put forward was a great honor and ... a considerable risk. The first wish of the customer: leave a modest hunting lodge, which was laid by his father. The building size of 24 to 6 meters was a big problem for architects.

The garden projector also ran into trouble. Wet, deaf forests demanded extraordinary strengths to create parks similar to paradise from them. But the main obstacle was the king himself. He demanded to do everything qualitatively and in the closest possible time. It was supposed that it would not be just a palace, but a chic ensemble, so beautiful that it would never enter anyone's head to ask: "And Versailles is where?" According to the plan of Louis, it should have been a place where the sky meets the earth.

Work began with the fact that in the village houses were built for thousands of builders. Louis XIV himself in the meantime bought up the surrounding land.

Heart of France

For a magnificent castle chosen styles of baroque and classicism. The main facade of the palace is a mirror gallery. Its windows overlooked the park, and a parallel wall hung with a Venetian glass that was fashionable at that time, which was then considered to be the purest, reflected the scheme of the garden.

In the main palace were ballrooms and bedrooms of the nobility. Each centimeter was decorated with taste. The walls were decorated with wooden carvings, frescoes, paintings, sculptures in niches. Not uncommon - silver and gold in the rooms. In the front room was the bedroom of the king himself. On both sides were the halls of Versailles.

Another reason for building such a huge complex was the obsession of Louis XIV. The supporter of an absolute monarchy wanted to keep all subjects under control. In such a grand palace, where 20,000 subjects could fit, the goal became real. But here it is worth noting that the spacious apartments were given to noblemen, favorites and minions, the servants lived in tiny closets.

Halls of the Gods

The pride of the residence was the Mirror Gallery. Its length reached 73 meters, width - 11 m. 357 mirrors created a visual illusion. It seemed that the park was divided on both sides of the palace. Decorated room paintings and murals, statues with gilding and crystal chandeliers.

Then every poor man knew where Versailles was. The king allowed to visit him all, because he was sure that this was the pride of all France. Every commoner could turn to the monarch in the walls of the palace.

The halls that were named after the Greek and Roman gods were very popular . So, Diana's Hall was used at receptions as a billiard room. All tables were covered with expensive raspberry velor with gold fringe around the edges.

The Apollo Hall served for diplomatic negotiations. In the evenings, it showed scenes in which the Sun King himself took part. There was also a room for military glory in France.

A park that looks like paradise

André Lenotr was engaged in designing royal gardens. Researchers believe that the splendor of the park is associated with the very persona of Louis XIV. The fields occupied 8,300 hectares. Each composition harmoniously fit into the ensemble. The monarch did not want to wait for years until the trees and bushes grew, so they were partly transported from other lands, including those that were clean and with Vo-le-Vicomte.

The scheme of Versailles resembles the rays of the sun, diverging from the center by alleys and squares. So the chief gardener wanted to exalt the Sun King Louis XIV.

Over the canals and fountains, which began to be called "Little Venice", thousands of soldiers worked. There was not enough water for such a mass of pools, so they made special straits from neighboring rivers.

The financial side

The favorite phrase of the monarch was the saying: "The state is me!" It is from these considerations that the treasury immediately found money for construction. But with the continuation of the work, the question of where to take the money has arisen more often. Originally, thousands of peasants worked at the construction site. In the future, more than 30,000 builders were involved. In peacetime, the tools were taken in the hands of the king's soldiers.

Of course, there were also victims. Hundreds broke to death on the foundation of the castle. Even more accidents became when the brigades began to work on schedule. People worked day and night. Construction in the dark for many became fatal.

For a long time the king hid the truth. When the information surfaced, he, without regretting the budget, began to pay compensation to the victims and their relatives.

Nevertheless, they tried to save everything. Dozens of fireplaces did not work. The doors and windows were loose. This created inconvenience for residents in the winter. The castle was very cold.

For a long time, every inhabitant of the palace could rebuild their apartments to suit their taste. But during the Nine-Year War, all the costs of repairs fell on the shoulders of the nobles.

Today, after several centuries, it is difficult to estimate the full value of the palace. And documentary evidence is not preserved.

The fate of the residence after Louis XIV

The project was the King's favorite child, because he himself participated in his planning. The palace is not only the court secrets of Versailles, but also events of world significance. There were conspiracies and intrigues, close monarchs, and the members of the royal family laughed and cried, loved and hated, they were destined by the destinies of ordinary mortals and entire states ...

Versailles was inhabited by two successive rulers. But, in connection with the political and economic upheavals, already in 1789, the palace was difficult to maintain. The halls were used only as museum rooms.

After the defeat in the Franco-German War in the Mirror Hall, the German Empire was proclaimed . A few decades later, this same building witnessed the truce and loss of the Triple Alliance.

You can not go to France and not visit Versailles. It's not just architecture, it's a dream embodied in life. The symbol that a person can absolutely everything. The main thing is to have a firm belief in the future and very little determination to use your chance. If you suddenly find yourself in France, be sure to visit Versailles. Reviews of tourists about this miracle of architecture are simply ecstatic. This palace and park ensemble is the most luxurious royal residence of Europe. Huge building blocks, spacious areas, large terraces with direct access to the park, galleries, perfect lawns, symmetrical paths, hedges, rainbow beds, sparkling fountains - all this was created in Versailles for fun to the king, his family, favorites and courtiers.