Versailles [antikvár]

With its three cháteaux, gardens, park and annexes, Versailles is an immense estate. Although Louis XIII had a hunting-lodge and garden built there, it was Louis XIV who was the true creative force. He turnéd Versailles into a sumptuous estate and ensured its destiny. From 1682 to 1789, Versailles was the seat and later the symbol of absolute monarchy, since the estate, modelled according to the Sun King's wishes, reflected his perception of power. For the service of the King and his magnificence Not too close to Paris, where insurgency was always a threat, but not too far away, the site had great potential for building. It thus fulfilled the King's desire to have his court permanently around him, which no other royal residence in the surrounding areas permitted. At the expense of considerable building work, decorating and excavation work, and laying on water, everything was created for the service of the King, his pleasure and his magnificence: the town, the annexes - including the stables, the Grand Commun for the lodgings of the officers of the royal house, the wings for the ministers, the cháteau with its public and priváté apartments, the gardens for walking, the small park and, beyond, the large park for hunting... Furthermore, everything was ordered around a main axis passing through the very centre of the royal dwelling, where the King's Bedchamber was located from 1701.