Random Absolutely Insane Facts About The Palace of Versailles (15 items)

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  (#6) The Palace Was Originally A Hunting Lodge

  Louis XIII (1601-1643) originally bought the land where the Palace stands today because he loved hunting. Initially, he built a chateau there for an escape from the city – drawn by the area's richness in wild animals. Louis expanded the chateau and bought more land before his death. In the 1660s and 1670s, Louis XIV turned Versailles into a palace. He even moved the French government and its court there in 1682. When Versailles was completed, over 5,000 people, including servants, could be accommodated in its large living space.
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  (#15) It Was Like Crowded And Unsanitary Apartment Living For Some

  Everything about Versailles is on the scale of the extreme – even poor living conditions. According to scholars, living arrangements in Versailles spoke volumes about where an individual stood socially, which, naturally, meant the King had the most space as his chambers. However, for some lower-status nobles (and naturally service staff), living in Versailles could be akin to urban tenement and apartment living. There were two wings of apartments at Versailles that ran north and south from the central block of buildings. Each of these wings was three stories high and filled with apartments. While the apartments on the ground floor were spacious, the others were tiny and quickly grew stuffy, crowded, and filthy. It was in these claustrophobic cloisters that many of the lesser residents of Versailles were housed.
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  (#7) The Garden's Fountains Were Advanced For Their Time

  The Gardens' water fountains were pressurized and jetted water high into the air, causing quite a spectacle for guests. However, due to issues with water supply, they were only turned on during special occasions, according to Tony Spawforth, author of Versailles: A Biography of the Palace. The Gardens included over 50 spectacular fountains with 620 jets. Today, many of the fountains (of which there were originally 1,400) include the same hydraulic systems from over 300 years ago.
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  (#3) The Sun King Sailed Gondolas On Its Grand Canal

  On the west side of the gardens at Versailles, there's a Grand Canal, which is about one mile long and 203 feet wide. The body of water is so large, it was often used for naval demonstrations, and Louis XIV sailed boats, including gondolas, in it. The Grand Canal is the largest body of water on the grounds of Versailles. It and the two rectangular pools nearby contain more than 15 decorative water features.
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  (#10) The French Citizens Destroyed The Opulent Golden Gate

  The people of France detested Versailles and viewed both it and Marie Antoinette's lifestyle as extravagant and exorbitant. At that time, the commoners were poor and often starving while the royal family lived in luxury. During the French Revolution, the people of France destroyed the gate of the Palace, which was made completely out of gold. In 2008, the gate was restored and decorated with 100,000 gold leaves. It cost $8 million to rebuild.
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  (#8) The King Ate Cold Meals Due To The Kitchen's Distance From His Dining Room

  The Palace could accommodate over 5,000 people between its walls – that's a lot of mouths to feed. In order to serve meals to so many people, the kitchens at the Palace were enormous. They – alone – were attended to by hundreds of servants. However, the kitchens were located quite a distance from the King’s dining room. As a result, his meals were often served cold. The architect didn't think ahead with that not-so-minor detail.

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