The Palace of Versailles

[Sun Lion]

And some more -

 

[gerry]

Fabulous pictures! Glad you are enjoying Versailles

 

[Moonmaiden23]

Thank you for sharing...how I envy you!

 

[Sun Lion]

Last day at Versailles today. A wet morning that cleared up after less than an hour.

Crowds everywhere. A backlog of tourists due to the French stike actions and Public Holidays.

Wonderful music on the people-mover taking people between the various areas.

Horses and riders in a couple of areas today.

A young lady walking her pet rabbit on a lead along the Canal yesterday.

Several older ladies happily riding their bikes about, serious older walkers getting about with their walking poles.

Joggers, children on roller-blades, a lone rower sculling away to the horizon on the water. (Came across the area were the rowing club store their boats.)

Full of locals walking the Canal and it's side sections New Year's Day.

The Grand Trianon area full of cars and people today after being so quiet and empty yesterday.

Best Wishes to you gerry. Hope you get to see it in person one day Moonmaiden23.

A few more photos - (the first is of the back of Versailles, beyond the Canal. A bit forlon, but still aligned with the Palace, Apollo Basin, Canal etc - just not dressed to impress like the front.)

 

[An Ard Ri]

Did you hear anything on the proposed boutique hotel opening within the palace gates or is this nonsense?

https://robbreport.com/travel/hotels/a-boutique-hotel-is-opening-inside-versailles-2888026/

 

[wyevale]

^ The renovation of the Hôtel du Grand Contrôle into a Hotel de Luxe is well underway...

 

[Duchessmary]

Thanks for sharing. When we were there, it was pouring rain and we weren't able to get a look at the gardens, fountains, etc. Gorgeous.

 

[Sun Lion]

Yes Duchessmary, I expected to see inside on my last day - but the crowds were too much and I had been through it in previous years, so settled for more exploration of the grounds and gardens.

And, even though it was Winter and lots of statues were covered or even removed, I still had a wonderful three days there.

No pressure to fit too much into the one day, lots of areas where there was no-one else about, a real chance to see things less dressed-up and more realistic instead of idealistic.

I especially enjoyed photographing around the Grand Trianon on New Year's Day as no-one was there - though the park was crowded with people walking the path around the canal.

And with the fog and no flower beds to distract, the whole atmosphere was somehow more real, less"presented" and I really liked seeing it that way.

Hopefully we can all return and see whatever we've missed. I've yet to see the grand fountain display days in high season, alway have been there in Autumn or now Winter, so am hoping for that chance sometime.

And to ride a bike around after seeing all the older, local ladies doing so and having a great time of it by the look on their faces!

 

[An Ard Ri]

The restoration of the Royal Chapel of Versailles is well in progress,see the videos below.

 

[silverstar]

I think I read.... maybe years ago... that the grounds of Versailles... of course a massive acreage.... are free and open to the public
A charge is made to enter the Palace and tour in there of course.


So its a good deal for the tourist and especially for people lucky enough to live in the village of Versailles.


I think the French are lucky too that the Palace survived all those tragic and bloody years of the revolution.... it could so easily been burned to the ground or vandalized and destroyed.


The Sun King was very wise to build the Palace a healthy distance from Paris ...( 20 plus miles) ..... and the Parisian Mobs .

 

[wyevale]

it could so easily been burned to the ground or vandalized and destroyed.

The [revolutionary] National Convention did indeed intend to utterly destroy all trace of the Palace, its dependencies and its gardens [1794] - and plough the land with Salt [to make the ground infertile].

The denizens of the town , feeling [rightly] that their fate was tied to a building without which their town wouldn't even have existed, petitioned the Convention against the plan.. a vote was held and [narrowly] won, against demolition, and the authorities confined their revolutionary zeal to vandalism - with the systematic defacement and removal of all Royal symbols [Crowns, the fleur-de-lys] and monograms [entwineds 'L's], or anything denoting the former use of the building.

Any of the above symbols one sees at Versailles today, are restitutions made [largely under Louis xviii] after 1816.

 

[silverstar]

Thanks , I did nt know that... so they did vandalize it to some degree...
but not that bad as they managed to restore it for its future role as one of the biggest tourist attractions in all of Europe.

 

[An Ard Ri]

Versailles fared better that the royal tombs at St Denis and at other churches which were violated and pillaged in acts of wanton Revolutionary destruction.Though it is miraculous that Versailles survived!

 

[silverstar]

yes St Denis was a tragedy all those Royal Tombs desecrated all that French History ...1000 years... trashed by the angry mob

The tomb of Diane de Poitier desecrated in a similar way on her estate
her body dug up and shattered.


France in the 18th century was the greatest nation on earth producing treasures in painting, ceramics and tapestry that are now some of the finest treasures of the world.... social life at Versailles was the focus and talk of all of France ... French Royalty was the model for all of Europe....


then the brutal Revolution brought that glittering and romantic world to an end and things have never been the same since .... but lets remember it was revolutionary events in America ... aided and abetted by Louis 16th ..... that inspired the French Revolution








.

 

[Nico]

then the brutal Revolution brought that glittering and romantic world to an end and things have never been the same since .... but lets remember it was revolutionary events in America ... aided and abetted by Louis 15th ..... that inspired the French Revolution

Yeah sure ... the good'ol and Romantic "Ancien Regime". hapiness everywhere, except those petty peasants ... but who cares isn't it ?
And it was Louis 16 th by the way.
You're welcome.

 

[Tilia C.]

I think I read.... maybe years ago... that the grounds of Versailles... of course a massive acreage.... are free and open to the public
A charge is made to enter the Palace and tour in there of course.


So its a good deal for the tourist and especially for people lucky enough to live in the village of Versailles.


I think the French are lucky too that the Palace survived all those tragic and bloody years of the revolution.... it could so easily been burned to the ground or vandalized and destroyed.


The Sun King was very wise to build the Palace a healthy distance from Paris ...( 20 plus miles) ..... and the Parisian Mobs .

Only parts of the park are free to the public. For the gardens directly behind the chateau and around the domain of the queen with the Grand Triannon, Petit Triannon and the Village of the Queen, you have to buy a ticket. But when you consider how much work goes into the up-keep of the baroque gardens, then it seems natural that they have to charge people for entering.

And those parts which are free still offer locals a large and beautiful area for walking their dogs, cycling and jogging.

 

[silverstar]

thanks Tilia for explaining that I dare say there s a considerable area of land taken up to accom all those coaches and cars that head there each year to what is probably the No 1 tourist attraction in Europe

 

[An Ard Ri]

The magnificent fountains at Versailles are also being lovingly restoration.

 

[An Ard Ri]

The chapel's lead sculptures are being restored.

 

[silverstar]

We need someone to go to Versailles with a digi camera and take a ton of photos of the gardens and if possible the Palace too....
and then upload a zip and post a link here.


Maybe June would be a good time to go.... the roses will be in bloom !


The Garden of Versailles is spread across 1,976 acres, and is one of the biggest gardens in the world. 210,000 flowers and 200,000 trees are planted annually in The Garden of Versailles.


As I said, people who live nearby are so lucky that they have one of the largest historic gardens in the world to wander around and enjoy ( not sure if dogs are allowed )



The number of visitors per year is I believe somewhere around 8 million... maybe less in the past year...... ( due to the gilets jaune )


And the Palace, so magnificent... though I dare say in summer its a case of join the queque !
The sans cullots must have been overawed by the splendour of it all and decided they could nt destroy such a French National Treasure ...

 

[CyrilVladisla]

The roses of Versailles would be beautiful to see!

 

[An Ard Ri]

The restoration of the stunning stained glass from the Chapel Royale at Versaille.

 

[silverstar]

The sans cullots must have been overawed by the splendour of Versailles and decided they could nt destroy such a French National Treasure


...

yet they could destroy the Bastille... and remove it stone by stone.... !
till there is nothing of it remaining.....


The Bastille could have been a huge tourist attraction for Paris if it was still there !

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

yet they could destroy the Bastille... and remove it stone by stone.... !
till there is nothing of it remaining.....


The Bastille could have been a huge tourist attraction for Paris if it was still there !

The hyper modern l'Opéra de Bastille and the gigantic Bibliothèque Nationale de France which are now on that site are mega public magnets. In my humble opinion less successful "Grands Projects" of President Mitterrand in esthétique, compared to La Défense or the Pyramid in front of the Louvre, but in terms of visitors the Bastille simply is a success. The whole neglected and impoverished Quartier de Bastille has had an enormous boost, in the 30 years this project stands.

 

[Nico]

The hyper modern l'Opéra de Bastille and the gigantic Bibliothèque Nationale de France which are now on that site are mega public magnets. In my humble opinion less successful "Grands Projects" of President Mitterrand in esthétique, compared to La Défense or the Pyramid in front of the Louvre, but in terms of visitors the Bastille simply is a success. The whole neglected and impoverished Quartier de Bastille has had an enormous boost, in the 30 years this project stands.

Wth all due respect The Bibliothèque Nationale de France is not at all on the Bastille site , it's not even on the same bank ...

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

I had the library in mind in the former Arsenal, on the same bank and in the same Quartier de Bastille. I thought the construction of the new Opera and the enlargement of the library were part of Mitterrand's projects to revitalize the Bastille. But I stand completely corrected.

 

[An Ard Ri]

The restoration of the gilt furnishings at the Palace of Versailles

 

[An Ard Ri]

The ongoing restoration of the King's cabinet at the Palace of Versailles,as you can see there's quite an abundance of gilt!

 

[An Ard Ri]

A timeline of Versailles from 1789 onwards from the onset of the Revolution,during the Terror ,Napoleon and Bourbon Restoration.

 

[An Ard Ri]

A look at a very quiet Palace of Versailles during the lockdown in France