Versailles

The French kings resided in the palace of the Louvre in the 16th and 17th centuries, up until the reign of Louis XIII. The Palace of Versailles was built under the reign of Louis XIV, Louis XIII's son, known as France's Sun King, because of the splendor of his court. It is by far the most grandiose of all the French châteaux. Originally the building was Louis XIII's hunting lodge. Louis XIV enlarged it, and dramatically transformed it. His entire court and government moved there. Further construction in the 18th-century, during the reigns of Louis XV and Louis XVI, added new apartments. The royal family was forced to leave Versailles on October 6, 1789 at the beginning of the French Revolution. In 1837, King Louis-Philippe inaugurated the museum in the château, devoted to glorious events in the history of France.