In the forests of Versailles, the founder of the Bourbon dynasty – Henry IV – begins to hunt. His son, Louis XIII, builds a small hunting lodge here and starts to lay out a park. Louis XIV, the son of Louis XIII and the grandson of Henry IV, transforms it into a huge palace and officially moves to Versailles in 1682.
Thus, if the Capetians lived on the Île de la Cité, the Valois in Le Marais and on the Loire, then the “nest” of the Bourbons is Versailles.
From the mid-17th century and for almost 150 years, until the Great French Revolution, the fates of Europe and the World, human destinies and careers are decided here, fashion is dictated from here, the most incredible rumors and legends are born here… The luxury and elegance of Versailles, which still astonish today, seem in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries to surpass any imagination.
Here are just some names associated with Versailles: Madame de Pompadour, Cardinal Richelieu, Madame de Maintenon, Jean-Baptiste Molière, Marie Antoinette, Jean Racine, Jean de La Fontaine, Napoleon, François Mansart, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart… In the endless list of its guests, we also find Russian names – from Peter the Great to Leonid Brezhnev.
The magnificent Grand Palace, surrounded by luxurious parks, where the landscape compositions of the most famous garden architect of that time, André Le Nôtre, are complemented by numerous fountains. It can be confidently stated that the bosquets (bosquet, from Italian boschetto – grove, thicket) and fountains of Versailles are one of the modern wonders of the world. However, the fountains only operate on Saturdays and Sundays from 3:30 PM to 5 PM and exclusively during the summer period between Easter and the beginning of October. But even without the fountains, the park transports us to another era, to different dimensions.
Obviously, the largest and most impressive castle-palace in France… is located just over 20 km from Paris, the duration of the tour varies, depending on desire and time, from several hours to… several days! In addition to the Grand Palace itself and its park with bosquets, the museum complex of Versailles also includes the Petit Trianon and the Grand Trianon and the village of Marie Antoinette (le Hameau de la Reine: bergerie de Marie-Antoinette)…
