Can you say "grand"? This palace was so large and ornate it is hard to describe how decorative it truly is to someone who has never seen it before. Rooms were enormous and I never knew what color to expect for the next room I walked into. Gold abounded throughout, however, and each room was filled with paintings, beautiful furniture, fireplaces, mirrors, and chandeliers. The windows were beautiful as well and overlooked the estate and gardens below. I don't think there is a "bad" view in the whole place! And the details...each floor, papered wall, moulding, doors, and doorknobs, everything was impecable.
I got a few statistics on the place:
Floor space: 67,000 meters squared
Windows: 2,153
Rooms: 700
Staircases: 67
Paintings in the collection: 6,123
Sculptures: 2,102
Furniture and objets d'art: 5,210
If I was amazed by the size of the chateau, I was even more surprised by that of the grounds. The gardens seemed to go on for miles. There were beautiful fountains and lawns and garden mazes of which I only got a small taste during my time there.
Louis XIV expanded this great estate, making it one of the largest palaces in the world. During the French Revolution in 1789 the royal family had to leave and stay in Paris, furnishings were later sold off. The establishment of a museum at this site was proposed in 1833. Presently political functions do still occur here, including when the Heads of State are regaled in the Hall of Mirrors. Information on the history of the chateau can be found at: www.en.chateauversailles.fr/homepage
(Image available from http://www.bbc.co.uk/)
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