minds of the day to run

minds of the day to run the innovative urbanplanning project – the landscape gardenerAndré Le Nôtre, who brought symmetry tothe layout of the streets, as well as Louis LeVau and Jules Hardouin-Mansart, the chiefarchitects of the palace.Roads emanate from the Palace like rays ofthe sun. To one side is the Notre Dame district,the “right bank” – built during the reign ofLouis XIV. It’s mirrored on the other side by theSaint-Louis district – the “left bank,” which wasfurther developed during the reign of LouisXIV’s successor, Louis XV. The Avenue de Parisbisects it, the widest avenue in France, withthe palace in the middle.The Small Stables, a misnomer if ever there was one, houses an enormoussculpture collectionThe streets of the two districts are linedwith perfectly preserved buildings from theglory days of Versailles, including officialresidences serving the king and supporting theadministration of the kingdom, and privatemansions that belonged to ministers, key staffand nobility, and even quaint houses for the“lesser” members of society.The King’s Show home‘Des Postes’ sign above an ancient door on the former royal postal officeThe first modern city inthe worldVersailles is considered to be the first moderncity in the world – wide streets let the daylightin and were lit at night by candles in lanterns,and drinking water was made available forall. Versailles inspired the design of manygreat cities, including Washington, Baltimore,Philadelphia and St Petersburg.Building the new town was not an easy task;there were no quarries nearby for rock, andno river to provide water for building. Much ofthe area was marshland. But Louis’ will wasabsolute, and despite whispers that it was acrazy project, construction began properly inthe 1670s in the Notre Dame district. In thosedays, a town had two essentials: a church anda market - to feed the souls and the stomachsof the people. When the Saint-Louis districtwas developed, it too had a grand church anda market.Louis XIV commanded that Mansart design a‘show home’, and nobles were not to deviatefrom the style (though in the 18 th century,rules were relaxed to allow an expansion fromtwo to three floors), harmony was everything.Astonishingly, two of the homes remain, andthe one at 11 rue Carnot, with its red brick,slate roof, and white stone, is typical of theVersailles style.But you’ll also spot buildings that are not quitewhat they seem. Red bricks were expensive,so to fulfil the king’s wishes for uniformity,some people painted white stone red andthen scraped the brick lines out. If you popto Rue du Peintre Lebrun, where you’ll findthe vast Chateau d’Eau which housed anindoor reservoir for the palace together withworkshops for fountaineers, you’ll clearly spotbuildings with fake bricks (and fake windows)!You can’t help but be impressed by the sizeof a building known as Le Grand Commun,dedicated to catering for the court (therewere separate kitchens within the Palace forthe preparation of the royal family’s meals forsecurity reasons). Up to 2000 people workedthere – plus it provided accommodation forworkers, soldiers and even nobles. Anotherenormous building housed postal services andworkers – you’ll spot the gilded ‘Des Postes’sign above the door. It was an importantbuilding, Versailles ran like clockwork, andthe post was delivered to ministers up tothree times per day. For the first time, officeswere explicitly built for conducting work –previously, business was carried out fromhome. Everything in Versailles was on agrand scale. As you explore, it’s extraordinaryto see just how much remains perfectlypreserved and still in use as offices, shops,accommodation and cultural spaces.The Grande Écurie, Great stables, werebuilt to accommodate the King’s huntinghorses and are now home to the AcadémieÉquestre de Versailles where equestrianballet shows take place. You can also take abackstage tour and meet the horses, and visitThe Great Stablesthe Gallery of Coaches, an extraordinarycollection of carriages, sedan chairs and sledsthat belonged to the royal family. The PetiteÉcurie, Small Stables, were where carriagehorses were kept, as well as home to pageboys, footmen, blacksmiths and saddlers.Now this enormous building houses variousinstitutions and one of the finest sculpturestorehouses in the world. Both stables arepalatial elegant buildings – the horsescertainly enjoyed better accommodationthan many of the King’s subjects. The Queen'sStables (in use until Marie-Antoinette’s day) isnow the Court of Appeal.18 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 19