Stories ·
Versailles in a few minutes
Eight turning points, from the hunting lodge to the peace treaty. Use them to place the rooms and people you meet during the visit.
Palace of Versailles / Your next move
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1623 · A hunting lodge
Louis XIII commissions a lodge at Versailles. He later builds a larger château. The brick-and-stone residence around the Marble Courtyard remains at the heart of the enlarged palace.
1661 · Louis XIV begins his personal rule
After the death of his chief minister, Louis XIV decides to govern without a first minister. During the following decades he enlarges Versailles and develops its gardens.
1682 · Court and government
Louis XIV establishes his court and the headquarters of government here. The palace grows to accommodate royal households, ministers, courtiers and the people who serve them.
1722 · The court returns
After leaving following Louis XIV’s death in 1715, the court returns with the young Louis XV. He later creates more private rooms and commissions the Petit Trianon.
1789 · The royal family leaves
The Estates General meet in the town in May. The Tennis Court Oath follows in June. After the October march, Louis XVI and his family leave the palace for Paris.
1837 · A museum opens
King Louis-Philippe opens his museum of French history. The Gallery of Great Battles is created by joining spaces previously occupied by apartments.
1871 · A German empire
During the Franco-Prussian War, Wilhelm I of Prussia is proclaimed German Emperor in the Hall of Mirrors.
1919 · The Treaty of Versailles
Germany and the Allied and associated powers sign the treaty in the Hall of Mirrors. The fighting had stopped with the armistice the previous year.
Image credits
- Azurfrog · Grand Trianon Salon des malachites.JPG · CC BY-SA 3.0 · WebP / AVIF
- G.Garitan · Grand Cabinet madame victoire 1505549.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0 · WebP / AVIF
- Pedemann · Grand Trianon Billard.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0 · WebP / AVIF
- Jen Wen Luoh · Petit Trianon - Antichambre 01.jpg · CC BY 2.0 · WebP / AVIF
- Jorge Láscar from Melbourne, Australia · Le grand escalier - Petit Trianon (24276910376).jpg · CC BY 2.0 · WebP / AVIF
- Photo: Myrabella / Wikimedia Commons · Cabinet dore Marie-Antoinette Versailles.jpg · CC BY-SA 3.0 · WebP / AVIF
- Hyperios · Bosquet du théâtre d eau Les Belles Danses.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0 · WebP / AVIF
- Léa Le Floc'h · Chateau de Versailles et son reflet.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0 · WebP / AVIF
- Coyau / Wikimedia Commons · Hameau de la Reine, maison de la Reine depuis les Cascatelles 01.jpg · CC BY-SA 3.0 · WebP / AVIF