SUN KING'S PRIDE: PALACE OF VERSAILLES

I believe you remember the another side of Paris here. It's time to show you the beauty 

and pride of Paris: Versailles, the palace of the Sun King Louis XIV.

Roman influences of the gardens and sculptures.

Still some restaurations going on right now.

Powerful and mystical gentleman in hooded robe.

The fine-tunning of the robes - impressive!

Flora and water to relax the mind from reigning and civil unrest.

Versailles was built to impress. Moreover it was built to keep Louis' entourage away 

from its political influences. It's been noted that by keeping the king's residence 

some distance from Paris, it offered him protection from any civil unrest of the city. 

It also forced the nobles, as such as relatives and friends, to travel to Versailles and 

seek lodging in the palace, something that impeded their ability to build up regional 

power bases that could potentially challenge the king. It's just as simple as it sounds: 

Keep your peeps away from policy and you rule! 

Valérie Bajou, a modern-day curator at Versailles writes in her book about it: 

Versailles is a mirage, a sumptuous and theatrical entertainment. It is also a 

manifestation of glory and power imposed to a great extent by art, luxury, and magnifecence."

After several restauration programmes Versailles become the national museum of 

France and contains many well-known contemporary painters and artists. 

Some facts:

Benjamin Franklin, acting on behalf of a newly independant US, negotiated a treaty 

with Louis XVI, which led to America getting critical support from the French military. 

In the 1920s oil millionaire John D. Rockefeller Jr. paid to have the palace's expensive 

roof restored.

In 2014 Miss K and Kanye West stayed in Versailles, along with friends and family the 

day before they were to be married. 

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