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Palace of Versailles
Versailles Palace is located in the region of Versailles, located twenty kilometers to the southwest of the city of Paris, the French capital, and it is one of the most famous and most beautiful European palaces ever, and one of the most luxurious palaces in the world, and dates back to the eighteenth century, and is currently one of the most famous tourist attractions In France, it attracts many tourists throughout the year, and this palace reflects in its design and construction classic French medieval architecture, as it shows the wealth and strength of the French kingdom at that time.
The date of construction of the palace
The construction of the Palace of Versailles dates back to the year 1624 AD, when King Louis XIII ordered the construction of a small house for him on the hill of Versailles, to reside there during his hunting trips, and the region of Versailles was at that time a small rural village, then King Louis XIV decided to take this house His headquarters, he ordered its expansion, and turned it into a palace to reside in it. Architects Louis Loveau, Jules Arduin, architect Andre Lunotre, and interior designer Charles Lerbon ordered the design of the palace and its gardens to become the headquarters of the French authority, and it took several years to build it, in the period between The years 1664 CE -1710 CE.
The palace remained the focus of attention of the kings and the main seat of power until the establishment of the French Revolution in 1789 AD, and in 1833 AD King Louis Philippe transformed this palace into a museum of the history of France, then opened in 1837 AD, and collected many drawings, paintings and sculptures that represent events and people from the history of France in it.
Palace facilities
The palace consists of three floors, and from several opposite buildings, and its main façade extends to about eighty meters, and the palace contains more than two thousand windows, and on the hall known as the Hall of Mirrors overlooking the palace gardens, which contains 17 arcs clad with mirrors, and each arc of them contains Twenty-one mirrors reflect windows overlooking the gardens.
The palace also contains an apartment for the king that includes seven large halls, and another for the queen that includes a room for her, a noble salon, and many precious pieces of furniture, precious paintings, and many galleries that currently contain more than three thousand sculptures, and six thousand oil paintings.
Versailles Gardens
The palace is surrounded by large squares containing fountains, trees, flowers and statues, known as Versailles Gardens, and these gardens include gardens of orange trees that contain more than a thousand of them, and on bronze and marble statues, and flower gardens, as well as fifty fountains, the most famous of which is known as the Latona Fountain In the form of a four-tier wedding cake, which works only three times a week, and the first layer includes Latona and her children, Apollo and Diana, and the second and third tier include frogs, and the fourth layer includes crocodiles and reptiles, and among the parks also features the Apollo fountain made of gold The original.
