Page 171 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Europe

P ARIS  169

VISITORS’ CHECKLIST
Practical Information
Versailles, Yvelines. Tel 01-30 83
78 00. £ Versailles Chantiers,
Versailles Rive Droite.
W Versailles Rive Gauche.
Open 9am–6:30pm Tue–Sun
(5:30pm in winter). Closed some
public hols. & Grand & Petit
Trianon: Open pm daily.
Closed Jan 1, Dec 25. & 8
7 _ Grands Eaux Nocturnes
(Jul–Aug: Sat eve)
∑ chateauversailles.fr
Transport
@ 171 from Paris.
The 17th-century Fountain of Neptune, by Le Nôtre and Mansart
Exploring the Palace mirrors reflecting the light from
The main rooms of the palace tall arched windows.
are on the first floor. Around Another major attraction is
the Marble Courtyard are the the beautiful Chapelle Royale.
private apartments of the king
and queen. Visitors can see the The Gardens of Versailles
King’s Bedroom, where Louis The gardens are a fitting
XIV died, aged 77, in 1715. The counterpart to the colossal
North Wing room next door, the Cabinet palace. Immediately in front
The chapel, Opera House, du Conseil, was where the of the palace is the Water
and picture galleries occupy monarch would receive Parterre, decorated with superb
this wing, which originally ministers and family members. bronze statues. Paths lead
housed royal apartments. On the garden side, the state through the formal gardens,
apartments are richly decorated with their regularly patterned
with colored marbles, carvings flowerbeds and hedges, to
in stone and wood, murals, groves, lakes, fountains, and
and gilded furniture. Each is architectural features, such as
dedicated to an Olympian the Colonnade (1685), a circle
deity. Louis XIV’s throne room, of marble arches designed by
the Salon d’Apollon, designed Mansart. The largest stretch
by Le Brun, is dedicated to of water is the Grand Canal,
the god Apollo. A copy where Louis XIV held
of the famous portrait of spectacular boating parties.
Louis by Hyacinthe The gardens contain two
Rigaud hangs above smaller palaces. The Grand
the fireplace. The war Trianon, built of stone and
theme of the Salon de pink marble, was designed by
la Guerre is reinforced by Mansart in 1687 as a discreet
a stucco relief of Louis XIV hideaway for Louis XIV and
riding to victory. The high his mistress, Madame de
point of the tour is the Hall Maintenon. The nearby Petit
of Mirrors, with its 17 great Trianon (1762) was built
for Madame de
Pompadour, Louis
XV’s mistress. It later
became a favorite
retreat of Marie-
Antoinette. Behind it
is the Hameau, a mini-
village where the
queen would dress
up as a shepherdess
and play with a flock
of groomed and
Marie-Antoinette’s beloved Petit Trianon perfumed lambs.

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