Europe · France
Palace of Versailles
The grandest royal palace in Europe, with its Hall of Mirrors and vast gardens, is also a museum of French history, with huge painted rooms of battles and kings.
History of the museum
Louis XIV, the Sun King, turned his father's hunting lodge into a magnificent palace and moved the government of France there in 1682. The Hall of Mirrors was finished in the 1680s. After the French Revolution, the palace was left almost empty, until King Louis-Philippe turned it into a museum of French history in 1837. Many events happened here, including the signing of the treaty that ended the First World War in 1919.
Top pieces
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The Tennis Court Oath Jacques-Louis David, 1791 -
Hall of Mirrors ceiling Charles Le Brun, 1684
In our gallery from here (6)
The Coronation of NapoleonJacques-Louis David · 1807
Marie Antoinette and Her ChildrenÉlisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun · 1787
The Tennis Court OathJacques-Louis David · 1791
Bonaparte at the Pont d'ArcoleAntoine-Jean Gros · 1796
The Distribution of the Eagle StandardsJacques-Louis David · 1810
The Congress of ParisEdouard Louis Dubufe · 1856