Louis XIV

At the beginning of his reign, the "Sun King" Louis XIV lived in Paris: in the Royal Palace (Paris Royale), in the Louvre, in the Tuileries. He tried to stay at Vincennes and Saint-Germain-en-Laye, and spent a season at Fontainebleau. In 1651, the king made his first visit to Versailles and in 1661 new expansion work began.[8] Louis Le Vau, the architect of the Palace of Vaux-le-Vicomte, was in charge of rebuilding the rooms, Charles Errard and Noël Coypel began work on decorating the rooms, while André Le Nôtre created the greenhouse and the zoo. At that time, Versailles was nothing more than a pleasure residence in whose gardens festivals were celebrated; The Louvre Palace was officially the royal palace.[9]​.

In May 1664, King Louis XIV inaugurated the palace.[10] Then the first festival was celebrated, which was called: "The Pleasures of the Enchanted Island". The festival began with two epic poems of the century: Orlando Furioso by Ludovico Ariosto and Jerusalem Liberated (La Gerusalemme liberata, 1580) by Torquato Tasso. Molière presented the French Letters creating the Princess of Elide") and the first three acts of Tartuffe "Tartuffe (Molière)"). The king had prepared this party, secretly, for Mademoiselle La Vallière.[11]​.

Louis XIV decided to preserve the palace built by Louis XIII. Luis Le Vau tripled the surface area of ​​the palace, which was decorated taking up the theme of the Sun, omnipresent in Versailles. The gardens, especially appreciated by Louis

In 1667, the Grand Canal pond was excavated in the center of the garden.[13] Le Nôtre designed the extension of the central wing and took charge of the gardens and outer living quarters. He collaborated with Francine, son of an Italian engineer, for the construction and hydraulic installations. Le Nôtre applied his knowledge of architecture, hydraulics, geology, optics and botany to become a construction manager who revolutionized gardening by designing large-scale parks.[14]​.

The following year the tenth festival was celebrated on July 18, in which the name of Versailles was made known. Known (the festival) by the name of "Great Royal Entertainment of Versailles", they will leave their mark for their creations: Georges Dandin, Molière, as well as the festivals of Love and Chance, by Lully.[15]​.

The work at Versailles responded to a political and economic desire of Louis The project proposed the expansion of the palace, along the garden side, covered in stone.[17]​.

Le Vau began the construction of the covering, which consisted of a second construction that would surround the first palace. From one part of the old palace to the other, the king's "Great Apartment" to the north, and the queen's to the south, were placed symmetrically.[18] A terrace, in front of the gardens, connected both rooms. Momentarily, the brick and stone palace was preserved. The facades were adorned with Rance marble columns, wrought iron and gilded balconies and busts on the balustrades. The roofs were decorated and the patio was paved with marble.[19]​.

On October 11, 1670, Le Vau died, and Colbert appointed François d'Orbay to continue the works. Louis XIV saw his wish fulfilled, the palace of Louis son. The long facades were punctuated by a projection and divided at the top.

Ionic columns, niches and tall rectangular windows (designed by Mansart in 1669) were placed on the first floor. It was decorated with sculptures: statues in the niches and rectangular bas-reliefs over the windows (disappeared in 1679). On the second floor, or attic, the decoration was in the Corinthian style and was crowned with a balustrade.[20]​.

In Versailles, and closing the terrace of Le Vau by means of a long façade whose architectural lines were the same as those of the new palace, Mansart built the Gallery of Mirrors between 1678 and 1684. This symbol of the absolute power of the monarch, was built on the old terrace of the new palace. The decoration was entrusted to the team of Charles Le Brun.[21]​ The gallery, limited to the north by the "War" room and, to the south by the "Peace" room, is long,[22]​ occupying the west façade of the "New Palace", and served as communication between the apartments of the king and the queen.

In 1678, construction began on the south wing intended to house courtiers. Mansart planned the construction of two buildings that would frame the Le Vau palace to the north and south and behind it.[23] In this way, the Gallery of Mirrors, the Hall of War and Peace replaced the terrace and the king's and queen's cabinets.

Between 1685 and 1689 a true construction fever gave way to the Greenhouse, the stables, the Great Common and the north wing for the courtiers. The construction of the north and south wings expanded the facades of Le Vau. The façade was medium. The two new buildings housed the Princesses and the courtiers, the stables, the carriages, the general services and the accommodation of the servants. The Grotto of Téthys was demolished. In 1687, Mansart built a small marble and porphyry palace: the Grand Trianon.

At the new Versailles, the queen's apartments were accessed by a marble staircase called the "Queen's Staircase." The landing gave access to the two Rooms of the Corps Guard, then there was the Antechamber, the Great Cabinet and the Chamber that overlooked the Hall of Peace. This group made up the south façade built by Le Vau.

The king's new apartments were built around the Marble Courtyard. The official apartments called the "King's Apartments" occupied the south and west wings of Louis XIII's palace, and the "Interior Department" was in the north wing. The king's department was made up of seven pieces, the last one joined with the Interior Department. In the center of the palace the King's Hall (future chamber of Louis XIV) was installed, and it ended with the Council Cabinet and the "Cabinet of the Thermes" or "Wigs".

In 1701, the king's chamber was placed in the center of the palace. The antechamber and the chamber (1689) were joined together to form the "Bull's Eye Chamber". In 1710, the construction of the Royal Chapel built by Robert de Cotte was completed, which would mark the end of the reign of Louis XIV. On September 1, 1715, the Sun King died. His body was exposed in his own room, converted into a burning chapel.[24]​.

In May 1682 the king left Saint-Cloud and settled permanently in Versailles, which thus became the official residence of the king of France. Versailles then experienced the heyday of courtly society. Louis XIV transformed a warlike and potentially rebellious nobility into a group maintained by the State in the person of the king. The king, who had known during the Fronde "Fronde (uprising)") the dangers of an uprising of the nobility, wanted to protect both the royal person and the government.[25]

The king established rules of protocol that transformed all his actions, even the most everyday ones, into an almost sacred ceremony. A certain number of people could be present when the kings got up or went to bed. The most favorites had the honor of surrounding the king behind the balustrade, which isolated the bed from the rest of the bedroom, and helping him when he dressed. All the acts of his life were regulated in this way and the king's relations with the people who could approach him had to be carried out with all solemnity, whether they were receptions for ambassadors, presentation of nobles and titled ladies, or the receipt of congratulations and congratulations.[25]​.

Louis XV and Louis XVI

In 1715 the new king was a child, and his tutor, Philip of Orleans (called the Regent "Regency (political)"), cousin of Louis However, in 1722 Louis XV returned to Versailles and settled in the apartments of Louis XIV.[26]​.

The first renovations consisted of the demolition of the "Bath Rooms" and the "Ambassadors' Staircase", as well as the construction of the Little Trianon hall. In addition, the transformation of the Departments of the King, the Queen and the princesses of the royal family was carried out. To transform and adapt the rooms to the tastes of the time and make them more comfortable, Ange-Jacques Gabriel took charge of the renovations.[27]​.

The new Administration of the buildings, headed by the Duke d'Antin since 1708, commissioned the decoration of the great hall (Hall of Hercules) to Robert de Cotte who directed the work following the projects developed during the last years of the reign of Louis XIV. The walls were covered with the marble chosen by Louis XIV and decorated with paintings by Paolo Veronese. François Lemoine wanted to rival Veronese by painting "The Apotheosis of Hercules." The Hall of Hercules communicated with the King's Apartments and with the chapel lobby. Later, Gabriel replaced the Ambassadors' staircase with a new staircase that ended in this room.[28]​.

In 1735 the decoration of the Queen's chamber, carried out by Gabriel father and son, was completed. The following year the Hall of Hercules was inaugurated. In addition, the rooms of Louis XIV's collections department were constantly renovated. Work began in 1742 with the creation of the private royal bedroom, and was completed in 1760. The second transformation consisted of uniting the former King's Cabinet (or Council) with the Thermes (or Wigs) Hall, to form the Council Hall.

To accommodate all the princesses in rooms worthy of their rank, Gabriel carried out multiple tasks. The princesses moved, during that time, from the south wing to the north wing and to the first floor of the central body of the building. Louis XIV, the Dauphin and his wife took possession of the ground floor apartments situated beneath the Queen's Apartment and the Gallery of Mirrors. In the century this entire complex was destroyed. Only the Dolphin Chamber and the Library were preserved.[29]​.

In the last years of Louis XV, the Show Hall (or the Royal Opera) was created. When the north wing was built, Louis XIV thought about building a large opera house, but finances at the end of his reign did not allow it. In 1770, the marriage of the Dauphin (future Louis XVI) to Marie Antoinette of Lorraine, Archduchess of Austria, took place in the Royal Chapel. That same day the Royal Opera House was inaugurated.[30]​.

Louis XV was responsible for the destruction of many of the splendid buildings of Louis XIV's time, but magnificent decorations were created inside the palace. The gardens and, in particular, the Trianon, were enriched with the construction of the French Pavilion and the Little Trianon. On the other hand, while Gabriel continued with his work, the life of the court also continued its course. The favorite entertainment of that century was the theater.

During Christmas 1763, Mozart and his family visited Versailles and dined with the kings. The young 7-year-old Mozart played several works during his stay and later dedicated his first two harpsichord sonatas, published in 1764 in Paris, to Madame Victoria, daughter of Louis XV.[31]​.

During the reign of Louis XVI, several buildings were carried out in the Little Trianon. In what is known as the “Queen's Village”, during 1777-78 the Belvedere and the Temple of Love were built, both decorated by Joseph Deschamps.

Outside the Little Trianon, in 1778, the facades of the palace facing the park were renovated, embellishing them with sculptures. In 1787, the Lanterne Pavilion was decorated and in 1756 the Puerta de San Antonio.

In 1783 Spain and France signed the peace treaty "Treaty of Paris (1783)") at the palace, which ended the American War of Independence.[34]​.

The Revolution of 1789

Versailles experienced the heyday of Bourbon France, but also its destruction: the States General were established in Versailles from 1789 until October 6. On this date, the palace was taken by the people and the king and his family were forced to move and settle in Paris.[35]​.

As soon as the royal family left, the palace was closed. In 1792, the National Convention (French Revolution), the new revolutionary government, ordered the transfer of all paintings and sculptures from the palace to the Louvre. In 1793, the Convention declared the abolition of the monarchy and ordered the sale at auction of all royal property in the palace. The auction took place between August 25, 1793 and August 11, 1794. The palace's furniture and works of art, including furniture, mirrors, bathrooms and kitchen utensils, were sold in seventeen thousand lots. All fleurs-de-lys and royal emblems on the buildings were cut out or chiseled. The empty buildings became a warehouse for furniture, art and libraries confiscated from the nobility. The empty Great Apartments were opened to visitors from 1793, and a small museum of French painting and an art school were inaugurated in some of the empty rooms.[36]

By virtue of an order issued by the Versailles district administration in August 1794, the Royal Gate was destroyed, the Royal Court was vacated and the Marble Court lost its precious floor.[37]​[38]​.

Napoleon I

When Napoleon Bonaparte became Emperor of France in 1804, he considered making Versailles his residence, but abandoned the idea due to the cost of renovation. Before his marriage to Maria Luisa in 1810, he had the Grand Trianon restored and refurnished as a spring residence for himself and his family, with the style of furniture seen today.[36]​.

Bourbon Restoration

In 1815, with the final fall of Napoleon, Louis XVIII, Louis XVI's younger brother, became king and considered returning the royal residence to Versailles, where he had been born. He ordered the restoration of the royal apartments, but the task and cost were too great. Louis XVIII had the far end of the south wing of the Royal Court demolished and rebuilt (1814-1824) so ​​that it coincided with the Gabriel wing of 1780 located opposite, which gave greater uniformity of appearance to the main entrance.[39]​ Neither he nor his successor Charles X lived in Versailles.[36]​.

Luis Felipe

Louis Philippe commissioned his minister Camille Bachasson, Count of Montalivet, to convert the palace into a museum in 1837.[9]​.

The palace was the headquarters of the Prussian army in 1870 during the Siege of Paris "Siege of Paris (1870-1871)") following the Franco-Prussian War. The German Emperor was crowned on January 18, 1871 in the Gallery of Mirrors.[22] Adolphe Thiers and his government took refuge in the building during the Paris Commune, sitting in the gigantic chamber, in burgundy armchairs until 1879. Later it was the center of the presidential elections of the Third and Fourth Republics. It was decorated with large frescoes that evoked war, agriculture, commerce, industry and peace. Additionally, the Treaty of Versailles "Treaty of Versailles (1919)") was signed on June 28, 1919, which ended World War I.[43]​.

A symbolic place, the Palace of Versailles was the target of an attack in June 1978. The bomb planted by the Breton nationalists damaged nearly ten rooms of the building.[44]​.

On the other hand, "the Greater Versailles project", developed between 2003 and 2020, was endowed with euros. It was the largest construction project the former domain has seen since Louis Philippe. The work has involved the entire complex: palace and park. The three main objectives are to secure the palace, continue with the restorations and create new spaces for the reception of the public.[45]​ The Vinci company financed the restoration of the Gallery of Mirrors with euros.[46]​.

Louis XIV

At the beginning of his reign, the "Sun King" Louis XIV lived in Paris: in the Royal Palace (Paris Royale), in the Louvre, in the Tuileries. He tried to stay at Vincennes and Saint-Germain-en-Laye, and spent a season at Fontainebleau. In 1651, the king made his first visit to Versailles and in 1661 new expansion work began.[8] Louis Le Vau, the architect of the Palace of Vaux-le-Vicomte, was in charge of rebuilding the rooms, Charles Errard and Noël Coypel began work on decorating the rooms, while André Le Nôtre created the greenhouse and the zoo. At that time, Versailles was nothing more than a pleasure residence in whose gardens festivals were celebrated; The Louvre Palace was officially the royal palace.[9]​.

In May 1664, King Louis XIV inaugurated the palace.[10] Then the first festival was celebrated, which was called: "The Pleasures of the Enchanted Island". The festival began with two epic poems of the century: Orlando Furioso by Ludovico Ariosto and Jerusalem Liberated (La Gerusalemme liberata, 1580) by Torquato Tasso. Molière presented the French Letters creating the Princess of Elide") and the first three acts of Tartuffe "Tartuffe (Molière)"). The king had prepared this party, secretly, for Mademoiselle La Vallière.[11]​.

Louis XIV decided to preserve the palace built by Louis XIII. Luis Le Vau tripled the surface area of ​​the palace, which was decorated taking up the theme of the Sun, omnipresent in Versailles. The gardens, especially appreciated by Louis

In 1667, the Grand Canal pond was excavated in the center of the garden.[13] Le Nôtre designed the extension of the central wing and took charge of the gardens and outer living quarters. He collaborated with Francine, son of an Italian engineer, for the construction and hydraulic installations. Le Nôtre applied his knowledge of architecture, hydraulics, geology, optics and botany to become a construction manager who revolutionized gardening by designing large-scale parks.[14]​.

The following year the tenth festival was celebrated on July 18, in which the name of Versailles was made known. Known (the festival) by the name of "Great Royal Entertainment of Versailles", they will leave their mark for their creations: Georges Dandin, Molière, as well as the festivals of Love and Chance, by Lully.[15]​.

The work at Versailles responded to a political and economic desire of Louis The project proposed the expansion of the palace, along the garden side, covered in stone.[17]​.

Le Vau began the construction of the covering, which consisted of a second construction that would surround the first palace. From one part of the old palace to the other, the king's "Great Apartment" to the north, and the queen's to the south, were placed symmetrically.[18] A terrace, in front of the gardens, connected both rooms. Momentarily, the brick and stone palace was preserved. The facades were adorned with Rance marble columns, wrought iron and gilded balconies and busts on the balustrades. The roofs were decorated and the patio was paved with marble.[19]​.

On October 11, 1670, Le Vau died, and Colbert appointed François d'Orbay to continue the works. Louis XIV saw his wish fulfilled, the palace of Louis son. The long facades were punctuated by a projection and divided at the top.

Ionic columns, niches and tall rectangular windows (designed by Mansart in 1669) were placed on the first floor. It was decorated with sculptures: statues in the niches and rectangular bas-reliefs over the windows (disappeared in 1679). On the second floor, or attic, the decoration was in the Corinthian style and was crowned with a balustrade.[20]​.

In Versailles, and closing the terrace of Le Vau by means of a long façade whose architectural lines were the same as those of the new palace, Mansart built the Gallery of Mirrors between 1678 and 1684. This symbol of the absolute power of the monarch, was built on the old terrace of the new palace. The decoration was entrusted to the team of Charles Le Brun.[21]​ The gallery, limited to the north by the "War" room and, to the south by the "Peace" room, is long,[22]​ occupying the west façade of the "New Palace", and served as communication between the apartments of the king and the queen.

In 1678, construction began on the south wing intended to house courtiers. Mansart planned the construction of two buildings that would frame the Le Vau palace to the north and south and behind it.[23] In this way, the Gallery of Mirrors, the Hall of War and Peace replaced the terrace and the king's and queen's cabinets.

Between 1685 and 1689 a true construction fever gave way to the Greenhouse, the stables, the Great Common and the north wing for the courtiers. The construction of the north and south wings expanded the facades of Le Vau. The façade was medium. The two new buildings housed the Princesses and the courtiers, the stables, the carriages, the general services and the accommodation of the servants. The Grotto of Téthys was demolished. In 1687, Mansart built a small marble and porphyry palace: the Grand Trianon.

At the new Versailles, the queen's apartments were accessed by a marble staircase called the "Queen's Staircase." The landing gave access to the two Rooms of the Corps Guard, then there was the Antechamber, the Great Cabinet and the Chamber that overlooked the Hall of Peace. This group made up the south façade built by Le Vau.

The king's new apartments were built around the Marble Courtyard. The official apartments called the "King's Apartments" occupied the south and west wings of Louis XIII's palace, and the "Interior Department" was in the north wing. The king's department was made up of seven pieces, the last one joined with the Interior Department. In the center of the palace the King's Hall (future chamber of Louis XIV) was installed, and it ended with the Council Cabinet and the "Cabinet of the Thermes" or "Wigs".

In 1701, the king's chamber was placed in the center of the palace. The antechamber and the chamber (1689) were joined together to form the "Bull's Eye Chamber". In 1710, the construction of the Royal Chapel built by Robert de Cotte was completed, which would mark the end of the reign of Louis XIV. On September 1, 1715, the Sun King died. His body was exposed in his own room, converted into a burning chapel.[24]​.

In May 1682 the king left Saint-Cloud and settled permanently in Versailles, which thus became the official residence of the king of France. Versailles then experienced the heyday of courtly society. Louis XIV transformed a warlike and potentially rebellious nobility into a group maintained by the State in the person of the king. The king, who had known during the Fronde "Fronde (uprising)") the dangers of an uprising of the nobility, wanted to protect both the royal person and the government.[25]

The king established rules of protocol that transformed all his actions, even the most everyday ones, into an almost sacred ceremony. A certain number of people could be present when the kings got up or went to bed. The most favorites had the honor of surrounding the king behind the balustrade, which isolated the bed from the rest of the bedroom, and helping him when he dressed. All the acts of his life were regulated in this way and the king's relations with the people who could approach him had to be carried out with all solemnity, whether they were receptions for ambassadors, presentation of nobles and titled ladies, or the receipt of congratulations and congratulations.[25]​.

Louis XV and Louis XVI

In 1715 the new king was a child, and his tutor, Philip of Orleans (called the Regent "Regency (political)"), cousin of Louis However, in 1722 Louis XV returned to Versailles and settled in the apartments of Louis XIV.[26]​.

The first renovations consisted of the demolition of the "Bath Rooms" and the "Ambassadors' Staircase", as well as the construction of the Little Trianon hall. In addition, the transformation of the Departments of the King, the Queen and the princesses of the royal family was carried out. To transform and adapt the rooms to the tastes of the time and make them more comfortable, Ange-Jacques Gabriel took charge of the renovations.[27]​.

The new Administration of the buildings, headed by the Duke d'Antin since 1708, commissioned the decoration of the great hall (Hall of Hercules) to Robert de Cotte who directed the work following the projects developed during the last years of the reign of Louis XIV. The walls were covered with the marble chosen by Louis XIV and decorated with paintings by Paolo Veronese. François Lemoine wanted to rival Veronese by painting "The Apotheosis of Hercules." The Hall of Hercules communicated with the King's Apartments and with the chapel lobby. Later, Gabriel replaced the Ambassadors' staircase with a new staircase that ended in this room.[28]​.

In 1735 the decoration of the Queen's chamber, carried out by Gabriel father and son, was completed. The following year the Hall of Hercules was inaugurated. In addition, the rooms of Louis XIV's collections department were constantly renovated. Work began in 1742 with the creation of the private royal bedroom, and was completed in 1760. The second transformation consisted of uniting the former King's Cabinet (or Council) with the Thermes (or Wigs) Hall, to form the Council Hall.

To accommodate all the princesses in rooms worthy of their rank, Gabriel carried out multiple tasks. The princesses moved, during that time, from the south wing to the north wing and to the first floor of the central body of the building. Louis XIV, the Dauphin and his wife took possession of the ground floor apartments situated beneath the Queen's Apartment and the Gallery of Mirrors. In the century this entire complex was destroyed. Only the Dolphin Chamber and the Library were preserved.[29]​.

In the last years of Louis XV, the Show Hall (or the Royal Opera) was created. When the north wing was built, Louis XIV thought about building a large opera house, but finances at the end of his reign did not allow it. In 1770, the marriage of the Dauphin (future Louis XVI) to Marie Antoinette of Lorraine, Archduchess of Austria, took place in the Royal Chapel. That same day the Royal Opera House was inaugurated.[30]​.

Louis XV was responsible for the destruction of many of the splendid buildings of Louis XIV's time, but magnificent decorations were created inside the palace. The gardens and, in particular, the Trianon, were enriched with the construction of the French Pavilion and the Little Trianon. On the other hand, while Gabriel continued with his work, the life of the court also continued its course. The favorite entertainment of that century was the theater.

During Christmas 1763, Mozart and his family visited Versailles and dined with the kings. The young 7-year-old Mozart played several works during his stay and later dedicated his first two harpsichord sonatas, published in 1764 in Paris, to Madame Victoria, daughter of Louis XV.[31]​.

During the reign of Louis XVI, several buildings were carried out in the Little Trianon. In what is known as the “Queen's Village”, during 1777-78 the Belvedere and the Temple of Love were built, both decorated by Joseph Deschamps.

Outside the Little Trianon, in 1778, the facades of the palace facing the park were renovated, embellishing them with sculptures. In 1787, the Lanterne Pavilion was decorated and in 1756 the Puerta de San Antonio.

In 1783 Spain and France signed the peace treaty "Treaty of Paris (1783)") at the palace, which ended the American War of Independence.[34]​.

The Revolution of 1789

Versailles experienced the heyday of Bourbon France, but also its destruction: the States General were established in Versailles from 1789 until October 6. On this date, the palace was taken by the people and the king and his family were forced to move and settle in Paris.[35]​.

As soon as the royal family left, the palace was closed. In 1792, the National Convention (French Revolution), the new revolutionary government, ordered the transfer of all paintings and sculptures from the palace to the Louvre. In 1793, the Convention declared the abolition of the monarchy and ordered the sale at auction of all royal property in the palace. The auction took place between August 25, 1793 and August 11, 1794. The palace's furniture and works of art, including furniture, mirrors, bathrooms and kitchen utensils, were sold in seventeen thousand lots. All fleurs-de-lys and royal emblems on the buildings were cut out or chiseled. The empty buildings became a warehouse for furniture, art and libraries confiscated from the nobility. The empty Great Apartments were opened to visitors from 1793, and a small museum of French painting and an art school were inaugurated in some of the empty rooms.[36]

By virtue of an order issued by the Versailles district administration in August 1794, the Royal Gate was destroyed, the Royal Court was vacated and the Marble Court lost its precious floor.[37]​[38]​.

Napoleon I

When Napoleon Bonaparte became Emperor of France in 1804, he considered making Versailles his residence, but abandoned the idea due to the cost of renovation. Before his marriage to Maria Luisa in 1810, he had the Grand Trianon restored and refurnished as a spring residence for himself and his family, with the style of furniture seen today.[36]​.

Bourbon Restoration

In 1815, with the final fall of Napoleon, Louis XVIII, Louis XVI's younger brother, became king and considered returning the royal residence to Versailles, where he had been born. He ordered the restoration of the royal apartments, but the task and cost were too great. Louis XVIII had the far end of the south wing of the Royal Court demolished and rebuilt (1814-1824) so ​​that it coincided with the Gabriel wing of 1780 located opposite, which gave greater uniformity of appearance to the main entrance.[39]​ Neither he nor his successor Charles X lived in Versailles.[36]​.

Luis Felipe

Louis Philippe commissioned his minister Camille Bachasson, Count of Montalivet, to convert the palace into a museum in 1837.[9]​.

The palace was the headquarters of the Prussian army in 1870 during the Siege of Paris "Siege of Paris (1870-1871)") following the Franco-Prussian War. The German Emperor was crowned on January 18, 1871 in the Gallery of Mirrors.[22] Adolphe Thiers and his government took refuge in the building during the Paris Commune, sitting in the gigantic chamber, in burgundy armchairs until 1879. Later it was the center of the presidential elections of the Third and Fourth Republics. It was decorated with large frescoes that evoked war, agriculture, commerce, industry and peace. Additionally, the Treaty of Versailles "Treaty of Versailles (1919)") was signed on June 28, 1919, which ended World War I.[43]​.

A symbolic place, the Palace of Versailles was the target of an attack in June 1978. The bomb planted by the Breton nationalists damaged nearly ten rooms of the building.[44]​.

On the other hand, "the Greater Versailles project", developed between 2003 and 2020, was endowed with euros. It was the largest construction project the former domain has seen since Louis Philippe. The work has involved the entire complex: palace and park. The three main objectives are to secure the palace, continue with the restorations and create new spaces for the reception of the public.[45]​ The Vinci company financed the restoration of the Gallery of Mirrors with euros.[46]​.