Palace of Versailles Tapestry

Versailles is a Palace and Park Ensemble in France and is the former residence of the French kings in the City of Versailles, now a suburb of Paris; it is also a tourism center noted throughout the world. Construction of the palace began in 1661 under the direction of Louis XIV, and it has become a kind of a monument to the Sun-King era, artistic and architectural expression of the idea of absolutism. The lead architects, Louis Levo and Jules Hardouin-Mansart, and the landscape architect Andre Le Notre are responsible for the design and construction of the ensemble. Versailles, the largest palace ensemble in Europe, is uniquely designed, integrating the harmony of the architectural forms and the transformed landscape. Versailles has served as a model for official country residences of European monarchs and aristocrats since the end of the XVII century, but no one has ever been able to imitate it successfully.