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Royal Menagerie of Versailles

Buildings and structures in VersaillesLouis XV
Versailles M2
Versailles M2

The Ménagerie royale de Versailles (literal French for "Royal Menagerie of Versailles") was Louis XIV's first major project at Versailles. It was built even before the creation of the Grand Canal. Its construction was entrusted to the architect Louis Le Vau, who began work in 1663. Abandoned during the French Revolution, it fell into ruin and no longer exists today.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Royal Menagerie of Versailles (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Royal Menagerie of Versailles
Allée de la Tuilerie, Versailles

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N 48.8037 ° E 2.0944 °
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Allée de la Tuilerie

Allée de la Tuilerie
78000 Versailles, Notre-Dame
Ile-de-France, France
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Gardens of Versailles
Gardens of Versailles

The Gardens of Versailles (French: Jardins du château de Versailles [ʒaʁdɛ̃ dy ʃɑto d(ə) vɛʁsɑj]) occupy part of what was once the Domaine royal de Versailles, the royal demesne of the château of Versailles. Situated to the west of the palace, the gardens cover some 800 hectares of land, much of which is landscaped in the classic French formal garden style perfected here by André Le Nôtre. Beyond the surrounding belt of woodland, the gardens are bordered by the urban areas of Versailles to the east and Le Chesnay to the north-east, by the National Arboretum de Chèvreloup to the north, the Versailles plain (a protected wildlife preserve) to the west, and by the Satory Forest to the south. Administered by the Public Establishment of the Palace, Museum and National Estate of Versailles, an autonomous public entity operating under the aegis of the French Ministry of Culture, the gardens are now one of the most visited public sites in France, receiving more than six million visitors a year.In addition to the meticulous manicured lawns, parterres, and sculptures are the fountains, which are located throughout the garden. Dating from the time of Louis XIV and still using much of the same network of hydraulics as was used during the Ancien Régime, the fountains contribute to making the gardens of Versailles unique. On weekends from late spring to early autumn, the administration of the museum sponsors the Grandes Eaux – spectacles during which all the fountains in the gardens are in full play. Designed by André Le Nôtre, the Grand Canal is the masterpiece of the Gardens of Versailles. In the Gardens too, the Grand Trianon was built to provide the Sun King with the retreat he wanted. The Petit Trianon is associated with Marie Antoinette, who spent her time there with her closest relatives and friends.In 1979, the gardens along with the château were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List for their cultural importance during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Théâtre de la Reine
Théâtre de la Reine

The Théâtre de la Reine (Queen's Theater) ou Théâtre du Trianon (Trianon Theater) is a theater built for Queen Marie-Antoinette by the architect Richard Mique from June 1778 to July 1779. It is located in the grounds of the Petit Trianon, in the park of the Palace of Versailles, hidden between the tree tunnel of the French Garden and the tall trees of the Alpine Garden. The exterior of the building, which looks like an outbuilding, contrasts with the sophisticated decoration of its interior, which is adorned with blue silk and velvet and gilded sculptures, yet is all pretense. It was inaugurated in 1780, ten years after the opening of the "Grand Théâtre", as the Royal Opera of Versailles was then called. This small comedy hall was a secret place for the Queen, far from the court of Versailles and its torments. She herself came to play comedy, with a troupe reduced to her intimate entourage, in memory of her taste, since childhood, for theater and declamation. The authors in fashion were performed, some of them, such as Beaumarchais, were even forbidden at court. The stage, twice as large as the hall, as well as the machinery, complex and of the most modern, are the work of the machinist Boullet, of the Paris Opera. The theater was spared during the French Revolution, as it was considered worthless. Several queens and empresses, Marie-Louise, Marie-Amélie and Eugénie, appropriated the place in the course of the 19th century, which became a sort of women's privilege. It has been assigned to the museum, but is rarely visited and, after several restoration campaigns, has remained intact to this day, including its machinery, an almost unique example of the eighteenth century.