The Travelling Celts

Burnt Alive

by Michael Cameron

The Palace of Versailles is a former royal residence located in Versailles, about 12 miles west of Paris. The palace is owned by the French Republic and has since 1995 been managed by the Public Establishment of the Palace, Museum and National Estate of Versailles. 15,000,000 people visit the Palace, Park, or Gardens of Versailles every year, making it one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world.

Louis XIII built a simple hunting lodge on the site of the Palace of Versailles in 1623 and replaced it with a small château in 1631–34. Louis XIV expanded the château into a palace in several phases from 1661 to 1715. It was a favourite residence for both kings, and in 1682, Louis XIV moved the seat of his court and government to Versailles, making the palace the de facto capital of France. This state of affairs was continued by Kings Louis XV and Louis XVI, who primarily made interior alterations to the palace, but in 1789 the royal family and capital of France returned to Paris. For the rest of the French Revolution, subsequently the palace was largely abandoned and emptied of its contents.

It was a hot June day when we arrived at Versailles, to be greated with a very lengthy queue - we thought if we got there early we would miss it, we were wrong. I wasn't impressed by the fact we were made to wait in queue on a belting hot day, there was no shade to be seen anywhere, it was a very uncomfortable wait, and has put us off ever returning - because of the complete lack of care demonstrated by the administrators. Once the gate opened however, the queue moved relatively quickly.

We paid to see both the inside of the palace, and view the garden. No doubts about the amazing decor of the palace, but it was rather too glitzy for our taste - but I suspect that was the point. We didn't really linger too much inside. The famous hall of mirrors being a particular let down.

The gardens are situated to the west of the palace, they cover some 800 hectares of land, much of which is landscaped in the classic French formal garden style perfected here by André Le Nôtre. The gardens are now one of the most visited public sites in France, receiving more than 6,000,000 visitors a year. In addition to the meticulous manicured lawns, parterres, and sculptures are the fountains, which are located throughout the garden. Dating from the time of Louis XIV and still using much of the same network of hydraulics as was used during the middle ages, the fountains contribute to making the gardens of Versailles unique. Indeed whilst the gardens were wonderful to walk around, they really do come alive when the fountains are "switched on".

In 1979, the gardens along with the palace were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List due to its cultural importance during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Click the links below for the Versailles photos and/or videos