Versailles

The Palace of Versaille is a former royal residence loctated about 19km west of Paris. Louis XIII initially had a simple hunting lodge built in a favourte hunting ground near the village of Versaille. However, this was replaced in 1631-1634 with a chateau which his son, Louis XIV, subsequently had explanded into a palace. In 1682 it became the seat of his court and government. The palace and park were designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979 and it has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world.