Château de Versailles aka Palace Of Versailles
Posted On November 23, 2009
“La crotte de pain” or Château de Versailles as it is commonly known is a royal château located in Versailles and is popular among the tourist as the Palace of Versailles. The Palace of Versailles is located in the suburban area of Paris at a distance of around 20 km in a southwest direction. All the political powers were centered in the court of Versailles; it 
was the time when Paris was the home of King Louis XIV. Later the royal family at the beginning of French revolution was required to leave the city. Versailles is famous not only for its designer building but also for its absolute monarchy.
The Palace of Versailles is ranking in the few largest castles of the world. The palace has nearly 67 staircases, 700 rooms, 2000 windows and nearly 1250 fire places. Round 1800 acres of land is reserved for the parks. The furniture, paintings, sculptures, tapestries of this exotic palace is made by the best French and Italian artists of the era.
Before Château de Versailles, the Saint-Germain Castles and the Louvre were supposed to be official house for the Sun King and his court. The construction of the palace was completed before 1682 later the king shifted here. The king declared that the palace was the home for all his people and every one was allowed to visit as well as stay in the villa. The huge gates of the palace were kept open throughout the whole day. The security guards at the gates checked the people only for guns as it could have been proved dangerous for the king. The Hall of mirror was the terrace of the palace which was transformed in to the hall in year 1678. The hall of mirror symbolized the power that the king possessed. Jules Hardouin-Mansart, who was appointed as the royal architect was responsible for the further construction of the palace. The various designed structure of Jules Hardouin-Mansart included the Royal Chapel, the 
Orangey, the north and the south wings of the castle as well as the stables. Robert de Cotte completed the last structure of the castle which was the Royal chapel in year 1710 during Louis XIV regime.
The financial difficulties which were faced due to the French revolution forced the further extension of the royal palace. The Chateau de Versailles was transformed into the museum in year 1837 by Louis Philippe, the king of the French. The palace was transformed into the museum as to honor all the glories time of France. History galleries of the Chateau of Versailles are supposed to be largest history museum in the world. The area dedicated to the history museum is around 18,000 sq. meters. You can know the history of France through its sculptures and paintings.
The most spectacular part of the palace is the parks and the gardens. The garden of the palace including the waterfalls, fountains, water parterres, jets, waterfalls, formal gardens, statues etc were designed by Le Nôtre
If you are planning to visit France remember to visit the visit of Chateau de Versailles, Chambord, Chenonceau, Amboise, Loire Valley Castles, Blois etc. Every year nearly 8 million visit the great cultural and architectural masterpieces in France.
The nearest airport to reach Château de Versailles is Paris Charles de Gaulle International Airport which is an international airport. Also Paris is very well connected to the other parts of the countries with road, rail and airways. From Paris you can get a bus, train or Taxi to reach Château de Versailles
