Palace of Versailles It is one of the most famous and most visited palaces in the world, with about 10 million visitors a year. You will hardly find a person who has not been there at least once in their life, but while most of you have visited the palace, have you ever wondered what it is like to work there?
Have you ever wondered who operates and maintains this palace that, together with its gardens and outbuildings, could house a small town? Well, for a month I had the pleasure and honor of being one of the palace's staff and I'm about to share with you my behind-the-scenes experiences.
Some dry facts about the Palace of Versailles
The palace and its associated buildings, such as the Grand Commune – the palace administration building, two stables, a church, the Petit and Grand Trianon, the Queen’s Theater, and various buildings scattered throughout the gardens, cover an area of 67,000 square meters, including 700 rooms, which together with the gardens cover an area of 1,977 dunams. In addition, in the vicinity of the palace there are various buildings, such as study and research centers, libraries, and buildings used by royalty and nobility, which constitute a significant addition to the area occupied by the palace in the city of Versailles.
In order to maintain and operate all of this, the palace employs about 950 permanent employees and several dozen temporary employees in various positions, divided into two main groups - the administrative staff who reside in the Grand Commune building and the field staff who are responsible for maintaining the palace and its gardens, preserving the buildings and their contents, cleanliness, guidance and information, and security and maintaining order.
'So what were you doing there anyway?'
Under the title of l'agent de surveillance, I was one of the staff members who came into contact with the large audience, and their job was to control entrances and exits, inspect and handle luggage, maintain order and security of the palace and its visitors, guard the palace rooms and its contents, provide orientation, and also explain about the palace and its works.
The palace is open six days a week (closed on Mondays) from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and sometimes additional activities continue after closing hours, such as various performances, galas, and film and television productions. The intensive, round-the-clock activity requires efficient management that balances the place's status as a museum with its other uses while preserving the ancient and delicate structure and its precious works.
Work at the palace is divided into two shifts; morning shift (matin) and afternoon shift (midi). On the first day of work, the group of temporary workers gathered in the Grand Commune building to undergo training by the person responsible for the placement, at the end of which we received a general work schedule for the working month and instructions sheets for the worker. After that, we were given a tour of the various positions and finally training in operating fire extinguishers by the palace's fire department.
Secrets of Le Marais: A Journey into the Historic and Chic Heart of Paris
Join us on a virtual journey to the most fascinating district in Paris. Together we will discover hidden courtyards, French nobility, and the true stories behind the magnificent facades.
To walk around the palace like a king
The entrance for employees is not through the main gates of the palace, where these visitors pass through the Grand Commune building located outside the palace. This building houses the palace administration and from there all employees go out on their shifts.
After stamping the time card, you go to the board outside the office responsible for work scheduling (bureau du planning) to find out what position and location the employee will be working in for the upcoming shift. This is usually divided into two types of locations – the entrances and exits where luggage is also checked, collected, and returned, or in one of the halls and rooms of the palace. Fifteen minutes after stamping the card, you go to the dispatcher's office located at the entrance to the palace.
The side staircase that leads to the wing where the “War Room” is located. If you thought that the worker had to stand in a queue that stretched across the square opposite the palace to get to his shift, then you were wrong. Through the basements of the Grand Commune begins a magical journey that passes through underground tunnels, hidden passages, winding staircases and hidden doors that help the workers cross the palace in a matter of minutes and disappear and reappear as if the earth had swallowed them.
Thus, a journey that began in the Grand Commune building quickly ends in the dispatcher's office, located near the Gabriel Stairs (escalier gabriele) leading to the magnificent Hercules Salon. In this office, you will be greeted with a bonjour (and shake your hand) by the dispatcher, whose job it is to make sure that all employees have reported for their shifts and to make any final changes to the work schedule if necessary. Then, you take a walkie-talkie and sometimes a heavy bunch of keys and head out towards the place in the palace where the employee will be assigned that day.
When your office is Louis XIV's bedroom
On the way to one of the salons where I will be working, I once again take advantage of all the hidden passages to get to my desired destination as quickly as possible, even if it requires me to emerge from behind my husband's bed. Louis XIV-To the surprise of visitors. The freedom of movement in the place and the ability to pass through places not open to the public gives a feeling of going back in time to a period when these areas were used by the palace servants or alternatively by the king and his lovers, a very unique experience that was for me the greatest advantage of working there.
When I finally arrive at my destination, a kind of ceremony begins that can be compared to the lever ceremony. It is the king's awakening ceremony that includes opening the heavy doors and opening the wooden shutters and the large windows. While exerting considerable force, I open the wooden shutters (volet) and in certain places the window, which is more of a large glass door than a window.
There are rooms where the blinds are opened wide and there are rooms whose contents are sensitive to sunlight where they are opened only slightly. At this moment the heavy wooden doors open and the stream of visitors begins to flood the palace rooms; groups and individuals, babies a few months old, old people in wheelchairs, schoolchildren, boys, priests, nuns, rabbis, imams, punks, yuppies, frock-wearers and dandies – all come through the palace gates from all corners of the world.
At the beginning of the shift, the department manager (le responsable) arrives and makes sure that the employee knows what is assigned to him in the place where he is stationed and, most importantly, the direction and method of evacuating visitors in the event of an emergency. The large flow of visitors (dozens of people on average at any given moment in each room) requires maximum alertness and the ability to maneuver among the large number of people.
Among the prohibitions that apply to visitors are jumping over the rope into the area prohibited from visitor movement, touching the works, carrying children on their shoulders, taking photos with a flash, using selfie sticks, blocking the passages, throwing garbage or inappropriate behavior. Since the audience is diverse and comes from different places around the globe, it is necessary to deal with all types of people during the shift.
The Sabbath is lost
One of the reasons for the high congestion in the rooms is the organized groups. One group can fill a large room, making the stay there unpleasant for the other visitors. Therefore, during rush hours, the group guide is allotted about two minutes before he has to continue to the next room. As a general rule, the policy is to get people moving forward so that 'traffic jams' are not created during this busy time of year.
During the shift, people approached me with many questions, some concerning orientation in the palace grounds and gardens, some regarding the room and its artworks, and some regarding technical problems, complaints, and various grievances. One of the most important tasks was finding lost people, especially children. One day, when I was working in the Hercules salon, a French girl with golden curls and tearful eyes approached me and explained that she had lost her parents.
Luckily, at that moment her parents contacted another worker in search of her, and the call to locate the girl was broadcast over the communications system, so all I had to do was sit on a low bunk next to her and calm her down in my broken French. Her mother's frowning face could be seen from the far end of the large hall when she arrived to pick her up, accompanied by her husband and two sons. The girl was returned to her parents, and everything ended peacefully.
Starting at four in the afternoon, the traffic of visitors begins to thin out, and at five o'clock wandering around the palace becomes more comfortable. At six o'clock the palace gates close, and by six-thirty the last visitors must leave the palace building.
And so at exactly six o'clock the person in charge of the wing (le responsable) appears, locks the wing door, and then begins a ceremony that is the opposite of the morning ceremony. This text can be likened to the funeral ceremony of the coucher king. They wait for the last of the visitors to leave the room, and then they close the windows and the heavy wooden shutters. Of course, they do this before taking a last look to see that nothing has been left in it.
And so room after room is cleared and closed. In each area, another employee is added to the ceremony, whose area is closed. When they reach the area closest to the visitors' exit, a large group of employees trail behind them, just waiting for them to leave the palace so they can finish their shift.
The weight of the luggage
The Palace of Versailles has clear procedures for what is and is not allowed to be brought into the palace grounds, and the general public has completely different ideas about what they want and can bring into its grounds. This causes long lines and a lot of anger from visitors as they stand helplessly at the entrance to the palace with so much baggage that you might think they are moving in.
So what is prohibited? Baby strollers, long umbrellas, food and drink except water (non-carbonated), knives and other sharp tools, suitcases, large equipment, and anything that the guards at the entrance think might disturb or endanger the palace, its contents, and its visitors.
The general public enters through the Dufort Wing (the left facade when facing the palace). The wing was designed by none other than the architect Dominique Proulx, who also designed the National Library of FranceThe fact that a star architect designed the wing means that comfort was sacrificed for the sake of design, and thus to transport luggage to its collection point, it is necessary to use a system of elevators (which break down frequently), which lead directly to the basement floor. From this floor, the audience exits after completing the tour of the palace, and from there they collect what they left for safekeeping on the floor above.
As a rule, entering and exiting through the new wing is cumbersome and does not prevent the large crowd from waiting in the scorching sun or rain in the square opposite the palace to enter it. Another problem is that the architect refused to have a station distributing audio guides inside the wing itself, and thus visitors find themselves standing in a long line again in the inner courtyard to enter the Gabriel Wing, where they will receive the devices and begin the tour.
My work in this department was in security checks at the entrance, in receiving luggage, in delivering it at the exit, or in supervising those leaving. Many people who discover that they will not be able to take their baby strollers with them and consequently carry their children in their arms throughout the visit become angry, discouraged, and give up the pleasure.
The palace hidden within the palace
The large audience that comes to the palace is led through the large halls such as the Hercules Salon, the Diana Salon, the Hall of War and Peace, and of course the Hall of Mirrors. There is no doubt that these are the places that everyone wants to see, but more than once visitors came and asked me if this was the entire palace?
So the answer is absolutely not. Behind the walls of the large living rooms is another entire palace that served as the private residence of the king, his family, and the nobility. And that's in addition to a winding and endless system of corridors, passages, staircases, courtyards, attics, and basements. These rooms are often the size of rooms in modern homes that we live in today and are located right on the other side of the living room walls, divided into two to four stories above the living room.
For example, behind the wall of the Hall of Mirrors are the king's private rooms, above which in the attic are the apartments of the concubines Madame de Pompadour and Adam du Barry, and above which is the private library of Louis XVI and other private rooms of the king, including baths and workshops where Louis XVI used to engage in his favorite hobby of building mechanical mechanisms and locks. Above all this is another attic with rooms for the concubines' maids and various storage areas, water tanks and ovens.
The King and Queen's Private Wing
On the other side, behind the Queen's Wing, which includes the famous bedroom of the French queens, is the Queen's Private Wing, where the most bustling palace life took place, especially during the time of Queen Marie Antoinette, who redesigned most of the rooms in her wing, the most famous of which are the Grand Cabin and the Cabin de la Meridian. While the Queen's official wing is reached via the magnificent Queen's Staircase (escalier de la reine), access to the private rooms is via side doors, some of which are inside the walls of the salons. Through the door next to the Queen's bed, the Queen escaped Marie Antoinette When the angry mob stormed Hadera on October 1789, XNUMX, when the women of Paris marched on foot to the palace to ask the king for bread.
All private rooms face the private courtyards (some of the attic rooms also face the outside), which are enclosed courtyards hidden between the wings of the palace and cannot be seen from the outside; the Deer Courtyard (cour des cerfs), the King's Small Courtyard (petite cour de roi), the Crown Prince's Courtyard (cour du dauphin) and the Queen's Courtyard (cour de la reine). These rooms are open to the general public on guided tours only by prior arrangement, on certain days and for an additional fee.
The hidden and lesser-known rooms
While most employees come to work shifts and leave, in my imagination I saw myself as a discoverer and explorer of the palace, and so I took advantage of every moment to look for hidden places that are not open to the public, and so in any free time I had (usually before my shift or during breaks) I went out to explore and see.
National Assembly Branch
One day I found myself outside the wing that King Louis Philippe had adapted for the General Assembly Hall. In the center of the foyer stands a colorful marble column in the First Empire style and statues of 19th-century figures adorn the large hall. A wander around the place led me to a wing in the center of which is a statue of a seated Roman warrior. Another small push on the door on the left and I find myself in an impressive staircase. I started climbing up and suddenly I noticed a door leading to an old, dusty library with bookshelves up to the ceiling. In the library sat an elderly librarian who looked as if she had been there since the days of Louis Philippe.
The stairs to the Assemblée Nationale (National Assembly) She was very happy to see me and explained to me gracefully that I had arrived at the palace servants' library. After a short conversation, I went upstairs while looking at the paintings hanging on the walls. On the top floor, I noticed a painting depicting a procession in which Pope Leo XII was enthroned. I went downstairs and came to a somewhat neglected and forgotten foyer decorated with many statues of the kings of France, such as Louis XVI, Charles X, Louis XVIII, and more. This foyer opened onto an inner courtyard and next to it was another small hall that housed a huge globe commissioned by Louis XVI. The visit to this magnificent but neglected and desolate place was a bit surreal.
The Galleries of Louis Philippe
One morning I was sent on an obscure mission to the Louis Philippe Galleries, located between the chapel and the theater. A long, dark staircase under a covered glass roof leads to a series of deserted galleries currently undergoing renovation, the large paintings covered in white sheets and workers toiling to prepare the place for its opening this November.
If you've asked why the name Louis Philippe comes up so often, it's because the last king of France decided to turn Versailles into a museum to the glory of France as part of a process of reconciliation between the monarchy and the people, so he demolished many rooms and turned them into galleries, foyers, conference halls, and more. While the work was being done, he and his family lived in the private rooms to oversee the progress of the project. One day, a couple of visitors approached me and asked me what the LP monogram that appears in many places in the palace meant, and the answer is simply that it was the seal that Louis Philippe left there.
Madame's residence
On a sunny afternoon, I was in charge of the Madames' wing, these are the private apartments of Louis XV's daughters, Madame Victoire and Madame Adelaide, located on the ground floor below the large salons. In one of the rooms of Madame Victoire's apartment, I jumped over the rope, crossed the room and reached the door hidden in the wall. A small turn of the key found me in the corridor leading to the deer yard and an internal staircase. Another door led to the apartment that Queen Marie Antoinette had on the ground floor after she gave birth.
The hidden room
Towards the end of my work in Versailles, I went for a stroll inside the king's private wing, one hidden door leading to another and each room more magnificent than the other; the library of Louis XVI, the games room, the king's private dining room, baths and toilets that would put any Parisian salon to shame, the Horloge salon, the king's study with the famous writing desk in its center, and more. But a small staircase caught my eye and when I went up, I discovered a room decorated in a more modest but still dignified manner, with a window overlooking the stairs leading to the king's private wing (Louis Philippe's Eschalie). I have no idea what this room was used for, but I assume it belonged to one of the nobles in the king's service.
Another place that is closed to the public and can only be seen through a small window is the magnificent toilet cubicle of Louis XV, which is decorated with the finest decorative wood paneling and two toilet seats, one for the ladies and the other for the king. This is a place that seems more suitable for a light meal than for defecating.
The private apartments of Madame du Barry and Madame de Pompadour
If we continue up the stairs that lead to the king's private rooms to the floor above, we reach the apartments of Louis XV's two famous mistresses. Madame du Barry and Madame de Pompadour or as they are called Les Favorites. These two large apartments, which are located next to each other, occupy most of the wing above the king's chambers. It is important to note that the two did not live in the place at the same time but one after the other - Madame du Barry took Pompadour's place as the king's concubine after Pompadour's death. Du Barry lived in the palace until the new queen expelled her after the death of her patron Louis XV.
This series of rooms, which includes salons, dining rooms, bedrooms, dressing rooms, baths, boudoirs and service rooms with windows facing both the marble courtyard (cour des marbre) at the front of the palace and the inner deer courtyard (cour des cerfs), was the dream of many nobles. Although they are located in the attic, their size, their splendor and being one floor above the king's chambers made them high-quality and sought-after real estate. So that two commoners like Pompadour and du Barry could stay by the king's side and live in the palace, the king arranged for them titles of nobility in various royal exercises.
The Night Waters (Les grandes eaux Nocturnes)
Every Saturday evening during the summer months, a show of fountains, ponds, and waterfalls in the gardens of the Palace of Versailles is held, accompanied by music and a sound-light show. This spectacular show, in which all the gardens' water facilities participate, is open to the general public upon purchase of a special ticket.
Towards the end of my work there, I invited a friend to come and join me to watch the show, and so towards the end of the shift, a group of musicians and actors in period costume took over the palace to put on a parallel show inside the palace. That day, we were asked not to close the windows and shutters to allow guests to see the water shows in the gardens.
As a palace employee, my companion and I were not required to pay or stand in line and we soon found ourselves touring the gardens between the Apollo Fountain and the Lotone Fountain and between the Orangery and the open ballroom. Each fountain was more spectacular than the previous one and the combination of water, fire, mist, magical lighting and baroque music made the experience unforgettable. The pace is completely different from a stage show, people linger at each show and enjoy the mystery that accompanies the place as around every corner they find a new surprise. After two and a half hours of wandering, the crowds of visitors gathered on the upper level to watch a spectacular fireworks display that ended the event. Tired and exhausted after a shift and an event, we returned by train to Paris after another enjoyable day in Versailles.
Another working day at the office
In conclusion, working in Versailles is not the kind of routine work that most of us do every day and is very different from my job as a graphic designer who sits in front of a computer all day, but that is precisely why it was such a special and different experience. The work requires a lot of walking, prolonged standing, dealing with a diverse audience, formal attire that includes a suit on hot summer days, finding solutions to various problems and the ability to communicate in English and French with many people, the fact that, as a matter of routine, French Basic increased the challenge of communicating with both the audience and colleagues. Needless to say, at the end of a day's work, my legs hurt and my head was pounding, but the satisfaction was great.
Working with the other employees, whether they were junior or senior, or whether they were temporary like me or permanent, was very pleasant because everyone conducted themselves in a collegial, professional, dignified, and respectful manner.
On the last day, the group of temporary workers who arrived and left with me, consisting of a group of young French people, invited me to join them for a party to mark the end of work in the Parc d'Eau des Suisse park located outside the palace behind the Orangerie, and so with beers and snacks we sat, chatted and laughed and had the opportunity to get to know each other better. It should be noted that during the work I also made friends with some of the workers during breaks or on trips back to Paris, but on this occasion they were particularly interested in me and the reasons why I had come to work in Versailles. I was undoubtedly the odd one out in the group, simply because I was an Israeli who was not their age.
As evening fell, we said our final goodbyes and each went our separate ways. It was the last day of August and the end of an unforgettable experience.
Did you like the article? Want to read more?
- Ronen Sass is a graphic designer, but his true passion lies in the field of 18th century interior design. After years of watching and reading endless books on the subject, Ronen decided to design his Tel Aviv home in the Louis XV style. The result, As you will see in this article, spectacular.
- Interested in visiting more palaces in Ile-de-France? You are welcome to read Ronen Sass's articles on Chateau Chan-sur-Marne וChateau de la Motte Tilly.