| Page Views: 2,804 Last Visit to Versailles: - | Versailles, France by al_mary - last update: Feb 25, 2006 |
Home Of Chateau de Versailles
Versailles, formerly the capital city of the kingdom of France,
is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and is still an important
administrative and judicial center.
The city of Versailles, is located in the western suburbs of Paris,
17.1 km (10.6 miles) from the center of Paris, is the prefecture, or
capital of the Yvelines departement.
Versailles is made world famous by the Chateau de Versailles,
rom the forecourt of which the city has grown.
There are still doubts about the etymology of the name Versailles,
but it seems the name comes from Latin versare. meaning "to keep
turning over", and was used in medieval times for plowed lands, cleared
lands, lands that had been repeatedly "turned over".
This word formation seems similar to Latin seminare. "to sow",
which gave French semailles, "sowings" and "sown seeds".
During the French Revolution, Versailles was temporarily renamed
Berceau-de-la-Liberte, meaning "Cradle of Liberty" ......
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The Chateau de Versailles - Pronounced: Versi
Versailles was originally a hunting lodge built King Louis XIII
(1610-1643). In 1661 his son, King Louis XIV (1710-1774),
decided to build a monument in his own vision.
He rebuilt the Lodge into the beautiful palace it is today, which
helped the country go bankrupt. The growth of Versaille in 1682
was due to Louis moving his court there and remained a Royal
residence til the French Revolution
The palace was to become the center for of the goverment and
French Court. The vastness of the Palace is huge, the Gardens
alone cover over 250 acres. The Structures were the work of
Louis Le Vau, J. H. Mansart, and Charles Le Brun. The park and
gardens were the work of Andre Le Notre.
Versailles (park area) contains two smaller palaces, the Grand
Trianon and the Petit Trianon, as well as numerous temples,
grottoes, and other very nicely French styled decorative structures.
Today, Versailles is one of the greatest tourist centers in France.
The palace also serves as a residence for visiting foreign leaders.
Click On Link Below For Official Website
Palace of Versailles Official Website
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The Palace of Versailles was the official
residence of the Kings of France from
1682 until 1790. Like we stated above,
it was originally a hunting lodge, but
was expanded by Louis XIV beginning
in 1669.
The French classical architecture was
complemented by extensive gardens.
The palace was stripped of most of it's
furnishings during the French Revolution,
and Tuileries in Paris became the Royal
residence.
Versailles is now a National Museum ....
Click On Photo To Enlarge
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The Palace of Versailles graciously
embellished by several generations
of architects, sculptors, decorators
and landscape architects, it provided
Europe with a model of the ideal Royal
residence for over a century ......
Click On Photo To Enlarge
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