How a hunting lodge became a luxurious palace: 10 little-known facts about Versailles

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Versailles is a place where luxury, culture and art are closely intertwined. This palace, nestled outside of Paris, has become a real gem of its century and a symbol of the power of King Louis XIV. Every little detail, from the brushstroke in the painting to the splashing fountains in the garden, was carefully thought out and designed by the best minds of the time. And therefore, for your attention - a dozen fascinating facts about the most beautiful palace in the world.

1. The king originally lived in the Louvre

Louis XIV originally lived in the Louvre, but its location in the very center of the city, and also close to the rest of the buildings, did not allow him to turn around and design the palace the way he would like. Therefore, the king, who wanted to show his greatness, good taste and elegance, decided that he needed a new place to live. Soon, in 1678, Louis leaves the Louvre and moves to Versailles, which later became known as one of the greatest masterpieces of world architecture.

2. Versailles was a hunting lodge

The father of Louis XIV once had a hunting lodge in Versailles itself. It was first spoken about in 1623, when the sun king's father bought a small plot of land in Versailles, intending to build a hunting lodge there. However, the king limited himself to this, leaving in bewilderment the people who knew the customs and requests of the French royal family. It was Louis XIV who made the reconstruction and the first new changes to Versailles, forty years after he was first heard of.

3. The water channel was a dirty swamp

The land on which the king wanted to build his grandiose palace was not suitable for such purposes, and therefore, in order to implement such a bold project, it was necessary to rebuild the entire territory of Versailles. First of all, earthworks and the process of leveling the soil were carried out at the site where the palace was soon located. The place where the father of King Louis built his hunting lodge was located in a wetland. Consequently, the workers had to fill the area with stones and soil, and, naturally, drain the swamps.

4. There were big problems with water supply

Versailles became one of the few palaces in all of France, which was located at an impressive distance from any river. For Louis, who dreamed that the palace was surrounded by a huge number of fountains, this became a big problem. To fulfill his dream, special artificial reservoirs with water were created. Underground aqueducts were built that supplied water directly to the palace itself, redirecting all the necessary water resources directly to it. However, this was not enough either. Thanks to this, it was possible to fill with water only those fountains near which the king himself walked directly. Others at that moment, to save water, were drained, allowing the rest to fill. Thus, a certain illusion was created that all the fountains installed there were actually working in the palace.

In order for them to work at the same time, much more water was required. To do this, the workers had to pump water directly from the Seine River, while inventing new methods for that time. To supply water to the fountains of Versailles, an innovative machine was developed that, with the help of pumps, pumped water out of the river, fed it through pipes that were located at a level of one hundred meters above the river, and pumped its reserves into the aqueducts, which already fed all the needs of Versailles.

5. To walk in the garden, you had to observe the dress code

The main feature of Versailles was that it was not available exclusively to the king and courtiers. Absolutely any person could walk in it. However, for this it was necessary to follow only one rule, namely, to be well dressed. If a person wishing to visit the palace and the surrounding gardens did not have the necessary clothes, he could easily rent them at the entrance to Versailles. Thus, the rule of elegance was maintained, and those who could not comply with it never saw the palace and its gardens.

6. The king did everything for show

Louis XIV never hid his life and willingly put it on display. At ten o'clock in the evening, he dined in the presence of the courtiers and his valets at the Grand Couvert. All those present were accommodated there according to their class in society. In the mornings, the courtiers waited for the king in the hallway, and after he woke up, they came to him. It was believed that it was very important to be present during the awakening of the king and to be seen by him. As well as watching his smallest deeds, which for many were worthy of admiration.

7. Versailles was meant to impress

For the king, Versailles was a reflection of his power, the monarchy, and therefore it was important that at the same time he was sublime and bewitchingly beautiful. And the mirror gallery is the best example of this. The king wanted to impress all the guests with huge mirrors and jewels that were adorned with real gold. All the most important guests visited this room in order to leave it afterwards impressed and with the right idea of the monarch himself and his tastes. On the vault of the gallery, you can find paintings that tell about the exploits of the king himself during his reign. During the reign of Louis XIV, mirrors were worth their weight in gold, but this did not prevent him from installing 357 mirrors in the gallery, thereby showing his wealth.

8. The most talented people decorated the palace

As you could already understand, in Versailles everything was extremely elegant and extravagant. The best creators and architects of that time were involved in the design of the palace itself. André Le Nôtre designed the garden, Louis Leveaux was involved in general architecture, and Charles Lebrun was responsible for decorating the palace. It was these people who made Versailles what it later appeared in front of the guests' eyes - majestic and magnificent. It is believed that they fully satisfied all the wishes and dreams of the king and he was satisfied with them.

9. Materials for the palace came from all over France

For the construction of the magnificent Versailles, materials were needed, which were brought from different parts of France. In order to build it on time and make it the way the king wanted, the workers had to work day and night. About fifty types of marble were sent to Versailles and transporting it was a real adventure. Slate from Angers was used for the roof, white stone was transported from Louise, and the marble itself arrived in Versailles from the Pyrenees. All these materials had to cross the sea and pass along the Seine River, since the land routes of that time left much to be desired. It took all these materials a full six months to get to Versailles. But for the king it did not matter, because his priority was the construction of a real pearl of France.

10. During construction, new technological and scientific solutions were invented

The construction of a palace like Versailles required unprecedented efforts from the workers and became a real test. It was the largest and most innovative architectural project at the time. And in order to build it according to all the wishes of the king, the workers had to resort to new tools, adapt old ones, and much more. They had to find solutions to all problems, for example, as was done with the water supply for the fountains. And it is not at all surprising that during the construction not only the newest and best materials were used, but also truly revolutionary and innovative methods of work.

Continuing the topic, read also about how Ludwig II, the king of Bavaria, succeeded and not only.