4/30.- Chateau of Versailles, State apartments, ceiling

The visit to the palace follows a given path. Visitors can visit the 'Chateau' on their own, or follow one of the guided tours. Audio guides are also available in 8 different languages.

The Old Chateau of Versailles was originally built in 1623 by Louis XIII - father of the Sun King -, but it was Louis XIV who built the New Chateau. In 1682 the monarchs left the Louvre and Saint-Germain-en-Laye palaces, and moved the official residence of the Court of France to Versailles.

At the end of the 18th century, in times of Louis XV, all the facades on the chateau's town side were renewed. The last additions to the Chateau were in 1820, when Napoleon I added a symmetrical pavilion on the other side of the courtyard.

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