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Facts and data on the palace of Versailles near Paris

In 1624, Louis XIII, the king of France, gave orders to build a hunting lodge in the small village of Versailles. His son, Louis XIV, had the gardens embellished from 1661 onwards.

Between 1668 and 1690, architect Louis Le Vau and his successor Jules Hardouin-Mansard considerably enlarged and embellished the palace of Versailles.

At the same time, the gardener Le Nôtre laid out the Versailles park. Le Brun took care of paintings and sculptures.

Grand Trianon at palace of Versailles
The grand Trianon in Versailles park

The hall of mirrors
The hall of mirrors in the palace of Versailles

In 1685, 36 000 people and 6 000 horses were working on the contruction of the 500 meters long palace, which took altogether 50 years.

The palace of Versailles, including the famous Hall of Mirrors (Galerie des Glaces), left on the picture, has been imitated many times thoughout Europe during the 18th century.

A good way to discover Versailles is on a bus tour.

The palace is open everyday except Mondays from 9am to 5.30pm (6.30pm from May 2nd to September 30th).The Versailles park is open daily from 7 or 8 pm. Its access is free. Web site.

From Paris, take the train at Gare Saint-Lazare station to Versailles Rive Droite station or at Montparnasse station to Versailles Chantier station (Count half an hour from Paris).

The park at Versailles
The park at Versailles palace
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© 01/06/97 - 13/07/08 - Paris Digest ® , the Paris guide for tourism and travel