Planning a trip to Paris anytime soon? If so then definitely plan on adding a day trip to the Palace of Versailles on your itinerary.  It will be more than worth your time.

This grand estate originated as a hunting lodge for King Louis XIII in 1624.  It wasn’t until 1661 that Louis XIV expanded it into the grand palace it is today.  The first phase of the expansion took 17 years to complete. The second phase took 37 years.  A 54 year renovation and addition – could you imagine??

To help with the costs, the finance minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert decided that the palace should become the showcase of France.  Everything in the Palace of Versailles was made right there in France.  Even the hall of mirrors, which is fascinating because at that time mirrors were only made in Venice, Italy.  Colbert enticed a number of artisans from Venice to come to Versailles to make the mirrors.  But then of course the Venetian government ordered the artisans to be assassinated.  Living was hard back then!

In order to help with the furnishings, Colbert nationalized the a local tapestry factory owned by the Goeblin family.  The costs are hard to figure for a number of reasons and record keeping back then, however estimate in the year 2000 was placed at $2 billion dollars.

Versailles saw rough times during the French Revolution and most of the original furnishings were sold off.  Napoleon and Louis XVIII tried to restore the residence as well as they could.  The government is still working on the palace today.  The front gate wasn’t fully repaired until 2009, and some of the fountains are still out of commission.  Interestingly enough, because of the prestige of the Versailles furnishings, they have been tracked down and put back in their original home.

Versailles is the most extravagant example of French Baroque architecture you can find.  It drips with gold and exudes glamour.  Even after 300+ years it serves as stunning design inspiration to creators all over the world.

To see more beautiful places to visit in Europe head over to my European Travel Resources!