History is filled with kings and queens, visions of royalty in their splendour, and of stories of vast fortunes spent on fantastically lavish palaces and parties. One of the most famous is the Palace of Versailles in France. Built to fit the whims of Louis XIV, known as The Sun King, it was to be a symbol of both the power and wealth of his family and the power and wealth of France. The palace is massive, and includes mile upon mile of gardens, parks, fountains, galleries, and halls. Overwhelming at first glance it has three distinct parts; the Chateau, the Park, and the Trianon. The Chateau is the part of Versailles that visitors easily recognize and was the seed that would eventually grow into the Versailles we know today.

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In 1623 it was little more than a “hunting lodge” favoured by the Sun King’s father. Louis XIV expanded it time and again until it grew to legendary proportions (needed to house an army of courtiers and servants). The architect Le Vau wrapped layer upon layer of building around the old lodge until his death in 1670. It wasn’t until 1682 that the Sun King would move into the State Apartments and call them home. The Park is behind the Chateau and is the largest of the three parts. It fell to André Le Nôtre to build a garden that would complement a palace of Versailles’s magnitude and grandeur. He would plan for a fountain of Apollo (the fiery sun massager) and a secret grotto where Louis could be alone to watch the sun filer though the sprays of water.

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