Today, over ten million people visit the Palace of Versailles each year

I stood in front of the golden gates of versailles, rebuilt in 2008 with 100,000 gold leaves after the original was destroyed during the french revolution. Louis xiv built them as a symbol of divine right — the ‘sun king’ ruling beneath heaven’s glow. The gates, known as the royal gates, open into the cour d’honneur — the palace’s main courtyard where royal carriages once arrived and soldiers stood in formation. Versailles began as a hunting lodge built by Louis xiii in 1623 and was expanded into a royal palace by Louis xiv between 1661 and 1710. Today, over ten million people visit each year to walk through the same gates kings once passed.

Fun Fact

The sparkling robe and crown belonging to Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, were among the treasures stolen in the recent Paris jewel heist. She had a strong connection to this palace—in 1867, she transformed part of its estate, the Petit Trianon, into a museum dedicated to Marie Antoinette, the queen she so admired.

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The Palace of Versailles is about 50 mins from Paris