★★★★★ 5.0
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Palace of Versailles
This dazzling hall was built as economic warfare! Those 357 mirrors aren't just pretty - Louis XIV created them in the 1680s to break Venice's mirror monopoly. You're standing where an outdoor terrace once connected the royal apartments, now transformed into 73 meters of French craftsmanship showing off to the world. Each mirror cost more than most people's lifetime earnings, but the Sun King went all-in anyway. Above you, Le Brun's 30 ceiling paintings chronicle 18 years of royal victories, and right here beneath your feet is where they signed the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, ending World War I. From humble hunting lodge to this 2,300-room palace dominating Place d'Armes - sometimes the most gorgeous rooms have the most ruthless purposes!
Did You Know?
- During the French Revolution, the Palace of Versailles was stripped of its royal grandeur: all royal symbols, such as the fleur-de-lys, were removed, and the furnishings and art were auctioned off in over 17,000 lots—turning mirrors, baths, and even kitchen equipment into public commodities, a dramatic end to its era as a symbol of absolute monarchy.
- The Hall of Mirrors is not just a dazzling architectural marvel—it was also the stage for two pivotal European events: the proclamation of the German Empire in 1871 after the Franco-Prussian War, and the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, which formally ended World War I, making the palace a witness to both the rise and fall of empires.
- Hidden within the vast gardens is Marie Antoinette’s private retreat, the Queen’s Hamlet—a whimsical, rustic village complete with a mill, dairy, and farmhouse, where the queen and her children could escape the rigid court etiquette and play at a simpler life, a charming contrast to the palace’s formality and a fun discovery for families exploring the grounds.