One of the 100 wonders of the world is the brilliant and incomparable Versailles. France is proud of such a unique building, which is considered the second most popular attraction after the Eiffel Tower. This is a famous architectural monument that takes us to the era of the Sun King - Louis XIV, who ruled the country in the 17th century. A wonderful ensemble, gardens and parks stretching over 101 hectares, a canal system, a residence for European monarchs and aristocracy - all this is Versailles.
How to get to this marvel of architecture? This question is of interest to almost all tourists traveling to France. The palace is located 17 km from Paris, originally there was a modest village, the first mention of which dates back to the 11th century. Ile-de-France Versailles huddled on a hill, crossed by the road leading from Normandy to the capital, so travelers stopped here. The village became famous in the 16th century, when the future King Henry IV stayed in the castle in 1570. In 1606 his son Louis XIII built herea hunting lodge to retire with friends from the hustle and bustle of the court.
But Versailles owes its heyday to Louis XIV. France in those years spent colossal sums of money on the construction of the palace and the arrangement of nearby territories. Accounts are still kept in the archives. Historians have counted about 80,000 lire, which, translated into our money, is 259 billion euros. Construction continued for 50 years. As soon as the buildings were built, the king and his court retinue moved here and lived among the noise and dust.
As soon as Louis XIV began independent rule in 1661, he decided to build the best palace in the state. His feelings were offended by the magnificent residence of Nicolas Fouquet, which at that time was the best in France. By order of the king, the finance minister was arrested for embezzlement of the state treasury, and Louis took the professionals who worked on his estate. They were Lebrun - an interior designer, Levo - an architect and Le Nôtre - a landscape architect. It was they who began to build the magnificent Versailles.
France, thanks to the fruitful cooperation of Levo, Le Brun and Le Nôtre, as well as the perseverance of the king, acquired such a beautiful estate, harmoniously combining the interior decoration, the unity of the architectural style and the surrounding area. Louis XIV did not touch the hunting lodge of his father, but ordered only to complete the construction of new buildings on the sides. Today, Versailles is considered the largest palace in Europe. France (the photo of the estate is amazing) in the face of this buildingonly gained and lost nothing, although many contemporaries reproached the ruler for excessive wastefulness.
Many kings made their own amendments to the decoration of the palace, but still it is associated with Louis XIV. Until the French Revolution, which took place in 1798, Versailles remained the residence of the rulers. France is still proud of this majestic building. In 1801, the creation of the Sun King was opened to ordinary citizens, everyone could walk through the park, admire the decoration of the palace.
