One of the most common comments I get since we moved to Versailles a few years ago is surprise that it's a place you live in and not just a palace. When people think of Versailles, the first image that comes to mind is the royal palace, the Hall of Mirrors, and the endless Gardens of Versailles.
But beyond the palace, Versailles is a city with a fascinating historical story that begins even before the era of splendor of Louis XIV (Louis XIV 1638–1715).
So just for a little background: I am Tom Shalmoni, 42 years old, married + 2, and at the end of the Corona period, in November 2021, we moved to Versailles. Maybe it’s more accurate to say that we came to Versailles by chance, because we came to France for my studies at HEC Paris, which, despite its name, is actually located in a small town called Jouy-en-Josas, located about 20 km from Paris. More importantly – it is located right next to Versailles, so we arrived in the city itself quite by chance, and fell in love with it. Probably because we wanted to experience classical Europe, and there really is nothing more classic than Versailles (maybe Vienna, but I haven’t visited it yet).
And back to the city – the story of Versailles is a story of extreme upheavals and a city that is anything but a linear progression: from a humble and apparently insignificant agricultural village to the true capital of France , from a center of royal power to the seat of the Revolution, and from an abandoned city to one of the most important heritage sites in the world.
Humble Roots: A Village on the Path of Agriculture and Hunting
The story begins before one could even imagine magnificent palaces here. In 1038, the name “Versailles” first appears in ancient manuscripts. The word derives from the Latin “versare”, an expression that described cultivated fields and agricultural land. The place began its life as a small, humble village, surrounded by fields and forests.
In the 13th century, the village was best known for its strategic location on the road from Paris to Dreux and Normandy. Huge herds of cattle passed through the village on their way from Normandy to the slaughterhouses in Paris, and the village benefited from commercial activity. The surrounding forests were another reason for its importance, as they were full of wild animals that the French nobility loved to hunt.
And this was the first turning point in the history of Versailles. In 1623, on the advice of one of his ministers who used to hunt in the area, Louis XIII (Louis XIII 1601–1643) decided to build a modest hunting lodge here. So modest that one of his ministers described the place as unfit for royalty.
In 1631, Louis XIII decided to rebuild the place on a more serious scale. The work was completed in 1634 and laid the foundations for what later became the magnificent palace we know today. At that time, the palace was about a quarter of its modern size.
Louis XIV and the Royal Dream
The real revolution began with his son, Louis XIV (1638–1715) , the “Sun King”. In his youth he experienced a trauma that shaped his future: during the civil wars, he was forced to flee Paris. This experience left him with a deep fear of the city and the Parisian mob. Versailles was a place far enough away to feel safe, but close enough to rule the kingdom.
The event that determined his choice occurred in 1661, when he attended a lavish party at the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte of the Minister of Finance, Nicolas Fouquet (1615–1680) . The magnificent gardens of the château were designed by André Le Nôtre (1613–1700) , and Louis was captivated. He wanted something bigger, more impressive, something that would make Versailles the center of the world.
Louis “stole” not only the idea of the gardens, but also the team: Le Nôtre for the gardens, the architect Louis Le Vau (1612–1670) for the construction, and the painter Charles Le Brun (1619–1690) for the decorations.
From 1661 onwards, Versailles became a huge building site. The problem was that the area was swampy, waterless and treeless. Le Nôtre drained the marshes, moved thousands of tons of soil and planted a huge number of trees. He created huge canals, stunning ponds and impressive fountains, and designed the “Avenue de Paris ”, the widest avenue seen in Europe up to that time.
In 1682, Louis took the dramatic step of moving the entire royal court and French government from Paris to Versailles. This was not just a physical move but a declaration of intent. Versailles became the political, cultural, and social center of all of Europe.
A whole city is planned.
But Versailles was not just a palace, it was an entire city that was meticulously planned. It is one of the best examples of planned urban planning in the 17th century. The streets and avenues are cut at precise angles, the buildings are built in a uniform style, and every detail was planned according to a strict aesthetic.
Between 1679 and 1682, the brilliant architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart (1646–1708) built the Royal Stables, two identical monumental buildings that stand on either side of the Avenue de Paris in front of the palace. This is part of the symmetrical construction of the area near the palace.
The two buildings are the same size, but the difference between them stems from their function: the large stable housed the king’s riding horses, trained hunting and war horses. The small stable housed the work horses, some 380 horses that pulled carriages, sleighs and all kinds of royal vehicles. At the height of Louis XIV’s reign , the stables employed some 1,500 people and housed more than 2,000 horses. One of his contemporaries wrote in amazement: “Any prince in Europe would have made this his palace, but these were only the stables of the King of France!”
In 1671, Le Vaux , the same architect who designed part of the palace, also designed the Queen's Stables. Originally intended to be used by the King's horses, they were transferred to the Queen's use from 1682. It was here, in these very stables, that Marie Antoinette (1755–1793) rode in a "masculine" style that raised quite a few raised eyebrows at court. She liked to ride with one foot on each side of the horse, rather than the "feminine" style of the time, where both feet were on the same side. For her, riding was a way to escape the rigid protocol of the court, a moment of freedom where she could simply be herself.
Between 1761 and 1762, the Palace of the Foreign and Navy Ministries was built, a monumental building with a magnificent reception gallery, where diplomats from all over Europe were received. Today it houses the municipal library, with over 700,000 historical documents and books.
But we didn't come just for the kings.
While Louis XIV built the royal infrastructure, and the common denominator of the names associated with the city is “Louis,” the history of the city (and the kingdom) can also be viewed through a different perspective. One filled with influential women, each in her own way, who left an unforgettable mark on Versailles.
Madame de Pompadour (1721–1764) , for example, was not only the mistress of Louis XV (1710–1774) ; she was his main advisor, even when she was too ill to be his lover, his patroness of the arts, and the woman who influenced the aesthetic taste of all of France in the mid-18th century.
The house built for her in 1752 in the delicate and elegant Rococo style reflects her personality. Madame de Pompadour was an educated woman, a lover of art and culture, who influenced important political decisions and supported artists, playwrights and philosophers. She was the patron of Voltaire (1694–1778) , Denis Diderot (1713–1784) and the French Encyclopedia.
We started with the concubine, but to be a concubine one must also be a “legal” woman. For Louis XV , his wife was the queen, Marie Leszczyńska (1703–1768) , daughter of the King of Poland, who married the King of France when he was just a teenager, and remained married to him for the rest of their lives, even having 10 children with him.
In 1767, she also broke new ground by deciding to establish an educational institution for young girls. While there was already one girls’ high school in France, one for noble girls in a town near Versailles, this institution was intended for girls of the “third estate” at a time when women’s education was considered a luxury at best. The queen, who was a religious and devout woman, saw great importance in educating girls, especially from the lower classes.
She commissioned the architect Richard Mique (1728–1794) , the same architect who later designed the Petit Trianon for Marie Antoinette , to design a magnificent building to be a boarding school for girls. The project was completed in 1772, creating an impressive structure that stood next to the Avenue de Paris. It was a typical royal charity project of the period, but also an expression of the understanding that education was the key to a better future.
The educational institution has undergone many changes since then, first as a military school during the reign of Napoleon I (Napoléon Ier 1769–1821) , and now it is the Lycée Hoche, one of the most prestigious public high schools in France (and hopefully my daughters’ high school in two years). As for the name “Oche,” we’ll get to that in a moment, and even if you tried, it would be hard to avoid it when visiting France.
Just a few more years passed, and in 1776 another woman contributed to the cultural mosaic of Versailles. Marguerite Brunet (1730–1820) , known as “La Montansier,” was a 46-year-old theater entrepreneur who already managed theaters in several cities. She was a completely extraordinary woman for her time, an independent woman who managed to run a theater business and become an influential theatrical producer at the royal court.
In 1777, her theatre opened in Versailles, a magnificent structure with a magnificent blue and gold hall. The building, designed by the architect Jean-François Heurtier (1739–1822) , quickly became a major cultural institution in the city. Montaigne maintained close ties with the royal family, especially Marie Antoinette , and continued to be active in the theatre world despite experiencing the French Revolution and being temporarily imprisoned. She lived to be 90, dying in 1820.
And if you wish, you can still buy tickets and watch plays and operas in the ancient theater, which, while not overly grand from the outside, allows you to experience theater as kings and nobles experienced it 250 years ago, even today.
Notre Dame Cathedral and Historical Irony
Let's go back in time a little to fast forward again. In 1684-1686, the Notre Dame de Versailles was built, which became the official court church. The church, which is very reminiscent of other Notre Dame churches and cathedrals, reflects the French classical style of the period with an impressive and simple facade that has been renovated in recent years and is now particularly impressive. It was the place where the king and the nobility prayed, and it symbolized the close connection between the crown and the church.
But there is a bitter irony in its historical role. It was from the church of Notre Dame, the symbol of the old order, that the procession for the opening of the General Assembly convened by Louis XVI (Louis XVI 1754–1793) set off on May 4, 1789. The event began as an attempt to resolve an economic crisis, but soon degenerated into a revolution that eliminated the monarchy, when a few months later the members of the Assembly gathered in the royal tennis hall (Salle de jeu de paume) and announced the convening of the Assembly, despite the monarchy's attempt to prevent it.
It is a remarkable historical irony: the institution that symbolized royal authority and the deep connection between church and state became the starting point for the most radical change in French history. Just a few months after that procession, on October 5, 1789, the Women's March on Versailles took place in protest of the high price and shortage of bread. In response to this march came Marie Antoinette 's famous quote suggesting that women replace bread with brioche.
The royal family was forced to leave the palace and return to Paris. The population collapsed from 60,000 to just 25,000, and the city fell into a severe recession.
A local hero in a time of change
Let me digress a little from the historical context to mention the name Hoche, which you were asked to remember earlier. In the second half of the 18th century, the city was already home to tens of thousands of people, many of whom were servants to the royal family – soldiers, guards, gardeners and even stable keepers.
And to one of those stable keepers was born in 1768 a son named Lazare Hoche (1768–1797) . Lazar was born into a simple family, far from the magnificent palace and court life, and when he was born it was impossible to imagine that he would grow up to be a national hero, even though he lived less than 30 years.
In 1784, at the age of 16, Lazar enlisted in the army as a private. At that time, his glass ceiling in the army was still very low, but the French Revolution that broke out in 1789 changed all the rules. Thanks to his exceptional military talent, courage, and natural leadership, the path was paved for him to quickly advance through the ranks of the army of the Republic.
What made Ochs special was not only his military talent but also his humanity. Unlike many other generals of the Revolution, who were brutal and merciless, Ochs was known for his humane approach. When Maximilien Robespierre (1758–1794) was overthrown in the summer of 1794 and the Reign of Terror ended, Ochs was one of the generals who opposed unnecessary violence.
The military feat that made him a national hero came in 1795, when he led French forces that successfully repelled a British invasion of Brittany. The British tried to take advantage of the chaotic internal situation in France and restore the monarchy, but Ochs repelled the invasion with impressive military skill. He not only defeated the British but also recruited the local population who supported the monarchy, rather than executing or punishing them. This was a revolutionary approach in such a violent time.
Auch became one of the youngest and most respected generals in France, and some say that if he had not died young, he could have been the one to change French history instead of Napoleon . But at the age of just 29, in 1797, he died of tuberculosis. There is also an unofficial version that claims to this day that the cause of death was not natural and was related to another (and lesser) general who feared the competition.
As a national hero and local, about 10 years after his death, a central square in the city was named after him (until then it was called Fountain Square), and in the mid-19th century, a statue in the image of Osh was even placed in the square , and as mentioned, a central high school in the city was also named after him. Outside Versailles, you will also come across many boulevards, streets, and squares named after the man who rose to heroism during a transitional period that made this possible, and to a large extent symbolizes the transition from monarchy to republic.
After the Revolution – Descending for the Purpose of Ascension
Versailles may have lost its royal status after the French Revolution, but that is not the end of the story, because its place in history did not end there. In 1837, King Louis-Philippe (Louis-Philippe Ier 1773–1850) decided to bring the palace back to life and established a museum there dedicated to “all the glory of France.” This was a turning point, Versailles went from a symbol of royal power to a symbol of national historical memory.
Later in the century, Versailles returned to an even more central position, although not always under favorable circumstances. After serving as the Prussian base during the Siege of Paris, in 1871 the coronation of German Emperor Wilhelm I (1797–1888) took place in the Hall of Mirrors during the Siege of Paris. This, incidentally, was repaid almost fifty years later when the Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919 to end World War I.
And a decade later, in the 1880s, Versailles was re-established as the capital of France for about a decade, when the government was forced to leave Paris during the Paris Commune. During this period, the current “Department Palace” (Hôtel de département) served as the residence of the French presidents.
In the 20th century, the city gradually began to be absorbed into the metropolitan area of Paris, but it retained a unique character. In 1979, the Palace of Versailles and its gardens were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognizing their universal value to humanity.
Versailles Today: The City Beyond the Palace
Today, Versailles is a vibrant city of around 87,000 inhabitants, serving as the capital of the Yvelines department. It carefully preserves its historical heritage, the old center has retained its bourgeois character, and the city continues to be a global tourist center with around 15 million visitors each year to the palace and gardens.
But beyond the magnificent palace, there are many other places to see in Versailles: a bustling market, charming streets, and lots of historical sites (some of which I wrote about in this article) that are easy to miss. Every corner of the city tells a different story about the struggles, dreams, failures, and successes of people who have lived here over the centuries.
On a city tour, you can discover many of the sites I mentioned in the article and of course other sites, understand how a city built as an expression of absolute power became a symbol of historical change, how royal splendor can exist alongside revolutionary memory, and how one city can contain all the contrasts of French history.
From the small village of the 11th century, through the magnificent palace of the “Sun King”, the amazing women who shaped it, the local hero who still lives in the city’s memory, to the modern and vibrant city of the 21st century – Versailles is not just any city. It is a living, breathing story.
Want to discover these fascinating stories and the secrets hidden behind each building?
Join a guided tour of the city and discover the city of Versailles, the one beyond the famous palace.
To contact us on WhatsApp: Tom +33779013350
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