Andrey Novoselov

Review of European leisure France (le pa...

A palace built to showcase the wealth and power of...

A palace built to showcase the wealth and power of France s Sun King, Louis XIV.



Courtly living.
Louis XIV made Versailles the hub of his kingdom the center of government and a place of court ritual where the French nobility were turned into slaves of etiquette. A new architect, Jules Hardouin-Mansart, added the splendid Hall of Mirrors, completed in 1684, as the palace continued to grow, its maze of corridors and staircases linking more than 700 rooms. Built in the grounds, the Grand Trianon a small palace clad in pink marble was a place of escape where the king could relax with his intimates. The Palace of Versailles served as a royal residence until the French Revolution of 1789 overthrew the monarchy. Today, it has a new vocation as one of the world s most visited tourist sites.