The Palace of Versailles

The Palace of Versailles represents the royalty and the majesty of French Kings: it is maybe the most important palace of French history. The French King Louis XIV installed the royal court in Versailles to be protected from civil movements and continued to embellish the palace up until the Revolution.

The State and the Private Apartments of the Palace of Versailles contain over 2,300 rooms: here you can find the famous Hall of Mirrors, a 250-feet long room with a great number of luxury mirrors reflecting the light of the sun from the 17 windows letting in the breathtaking view of the gardens; the War Room, where Louis XIV’s victories are depicted as political propaganda; the Peace Room, with cupids who play with discarded cannons and violins. The King’s Apartments, which consist of seven rooms and contain Italian-style decorations: from there, anyone could see the royal family on their way to the chapel.

The king’s private domain contains the important bedchamber, the symbolic room where the ‘getting up’ and the ‘going to bed’ ceremonies used to be held. Symmetrical to the king’s apartments, the Queen’s Apartments were built to house the queen’s bedchamber, where she used to spend most of her time.

The Royal Chapel is another important room, designed with a vaulted ceiling and dedicated to Saint Louis: Louis XIV used to go there every morning at 10:00 with is family. The Palace also contains a Royal Opera House, built during the reign of Louis XV, and the Museum of History of France, inaugurated in the 19^th century.