Versailles

Versailles , city (1990 pop. 91,029), capital of Yvelines dept., N central France. It was an insignificant village made famous by Louis XIV, who built (mid-17th cent.) the palace and grounds that have become almost synonymous with the name Versailles. The growth of the town began in 1682, when Louis moved his court there. The huge structure, representing French classical style at its height, was the work of Louis Le Vau, J. H. Mansart, and Charles Le Brun. André Le Nôtre laid out the park and gardens, which are decorated with fountains, reservoirs, and sculptures by such artists as Antoine Coysevox. A huge machine was built at Marly-le-Roi to supply water for the fountains. The park contains two smaller palaces, the Grand Trianon and the Petit Trianon, as well as numerous temples, grottoes, and other decorative structures. The scene of the beginnings of the French Revolution, Versailles never again became a royal residence (the Tuileries in Paris replaced it in this function); under Louis Philippe it became a national monument and museum. The palace was the scene of the proclamation of the German Empire (1871) and of the Third French Republic. Several important treaties were signed at Versailles, most notably the 1919 treaty ending World War I and establishing the League of Nations. Versailles is today one of the greatest tourist centers in France. The palace serves as a residence for visiting foreign leaders. It was the site of a bombing by separatists in 1978, when one wing was damaged. The city has some industry, such as distilling and market gardening. It is a garrison town, with a military hospital and military schools.

Versailles a palace built for Louis XIV near the town of Versailles, south-west of Paris. It was built around a château belonging to Louis XIII, which was transformed by additions in the grand French classical style.
Treaty of Versailles the name given to both a treaty which terminated the War of American Independence in 1783, and to a treaty signed in 1919 which brought a formal end to the First World War.

Versailles. Although there was a good deal of theatrical entertainment at the palace of Versailles under Louis XIV, there was no permanent theatre there and plays were given on temporary stages erected indoors or in the gardens. It was not until 1768 that Louis XV instructed his chief architect to build a theatre in the north wing of the château. Oval in design, not rectangular as earlier French theatres had been, it was built of wood, much of it painted to resemble marble. The stage, almost as large as that of the Paris Opéra, was well supplied with machinery, and the floor of the auditorium could be raised to stage level to form a large room for balls and banquets. Lighting was provided by crystal chandeliers. The theatre was first used in 1770 for a banquet in honour of the marriage of the future Louis XVI to Marie-Antoinette. The first plays to be given there were Racine's Athalie on 23 May, with Mlle Clairon in the title-role, and on 20 June Voltaire's Tancrède. When in 1837 Louis- Philippe made Versailles a museum of French military history, the opening ceremony was followed on 10 June by a gala performance of Molière's Le Misanthrope. The theatre was then used occasionally for concerts and in 1855 for a banquet in honour of Queen Victoria. In 1871 it was taken over by the Assembly, who met there during the Commune. A floor was laid over the pit, and everything above it was painted brown. This fortunately preserved the decorations below, and when in 1952 restoration began on the château, the theatre too was restored to its original colours of dark blue, pale blue, and gold. It was even found possible to replace the original material on the seats, made by the firm which had supplied it in 1768. The restoration was completed in time for an official visit by Queen Elizabeth II of England in 1957, when a theatrical and musical entertainment was given. The theatre is still occasionally used for concerts, operas, and plays.

A theatre built by Mlle Montansier in 1777 on a site near the palace of Versailles remained in use until 1886.