Versailles

Versailles, city in northern France, capital of the Yvelines Department, near Paris. It is primarily a residential community and is noted as the site of the palace and gardens of Louis XIV. Population 86,400 (2005 estimate).

Tourism is the primary source of the city’s economic prosperity. Versailles also has some industry.

The core of the palace is the small château (1624-1626), built for Louis XIII and later enlarged. Construction of the main building began in 1661; Louis XIV, his court, and the various departments of government occupied it in 1682. During the 1680s, the great north and south wings were added. The overall length of the western facades is about 580 m (1,900 ft). The front of the palace faces a large court containing statues of famous Frenchmen. Numerous galleries, salons, and royal apartments, all lavishly decorated and fitted with ornate furnishings, occupy the interior. One of the most famous galleries is the Hall of Mirrors, the walls of which are covered with enormous mirrors. The chief architects of Versailles were Louis Le Vau and his successor Jules Hardouin-Mansart.

The gardens, designed by the landscape architect André Le Nôtre, are laid out in broad avenues lined with trees, shrubs, and groups of sculpture. There are numerous secluded groves and a mile-long Grand Canal. Particularly noteworthy is the Orangery, considered one of the finest pieces of architecture in Versailles. Also outstanding are the magnificent fountains, supplied by a water system almost 160 km (100 mi) in length. North of the gardens are the Grand and Petit Trianons, or royal villas. The Petit Trianon was a favourite retreat of Marie Antoinette, queen of France and wife of King Louis XVI. The palace and park of Versailles were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.

The palace, designated a national museum in 1837, was the site of many historic events. In 1789, on the Tennis Court, the Estates-General of France took the famous oath that heralded the beginning of the French Revolution. During the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871), the German headquarters was located in the town of Versailles, and William I was proclaimed emperor of Germany at a ceremony held in the palace on January 18, 1871. Subsequently, during the Third Republic, it was the seat of the French National Assembly until 1879. After World War I the Versailles Treaty was signed (1919) in its Hall of Mirrors. Restoration projects were initiated at Versailles after World War II; parts of the palace and the Grand Trianon villa were restored in preparation for a meeting of Western heads of government here in 1982.