The gardens are one of the most famous features of Versailles.
It's estimated that about 30% of the cost of the palace went into creating them.
Of the original 8,000 hectares, only 10% of the gardens remain today.
Their original size were 3 times the size of Paris - or 11,000 football fields!
The gardens originally had over 1,000 fountains. This posed a significant engineering challenge.
Indeed Versailles itself consumed more water than Paris - guzzling more than 12,000 cubic meters a day, draining all the ponds in the area.
To address this, a massive machine, the Machine of Marly, was built by Louis XIV, to pump water directly from the Seine and bring it to the palace via an aqueduct.
The Machine took 3 years to build.
It was equipped with 250 pumps, 11m wheels and employed 60 people full time... but it still wasn't enough.
So gardeners would whistle to each other when the king approached - to know when to switch them on and off!
Like many artworks in Versailles, the fountains were designed to underscore Louis XIV's absolute power.
The Fountain of Latona depicts the myth of Apollo, his sister and his mother, who were thrown rocks by local peasants before they were turned into frogs by Zeus.
The Fountain of Apollo represents the god Apollo - the god of Sun and Beauty and a favorite symbol of Louis XIV - soaring into the sky in his chariot.
You also cannot miss the Grand Canal.
Measuring a massive 60m by 1.5km, it would have been full of boats - including a caravel, a galley and a frigate.
Louis XIV even had barracks constructed near the canal to accommodate the sailors.
The gardens also included 15 intimate gardens, or bosquets, enclosed by hedges.
These worked like small salons, where people could meet to chat and organise parties.
One bosquet featured a labyrinth with 300 statues illustrating Aesop's fables.
It was said to have helped teach the young Louis XV how to read.
Another bosquet became the backdrop for an infamous scandal involving Marie-Antoinette.
Indeed, Louis XV had ordered a $14 million necklace to be made for his mistress, Madame du Barry - but died before he could pay for it.
Hearing of this, a countess at Versailles arranged an elaborate con, where a woman pretending to be Marie-Antoinette met up with a wealthy cardinal, convincing him that he should buy her the necklace - which he did!
The gardens were also a stage for spectacular entertainments.
Louis XIV was a passionate dancer and avid patron of music and theatre - putting on extraordinary shows for the court, with Lully often composing the music and Molière writing the plays.
In 1664, he organised a famous party, Les Plaisirs de l'Île Enchantée - a week of outdoor festivities including theatre, fireworks, jousting and lavish banquets.
So many nobles attended that those without rooms slept in their carriages in the gardens - both a celebration of Versailles and a reminder of who was in charge.
Comments
Loading comments...