Versailles
| Palace and Park of Versailles* | |
|---|---|
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
Versailles: Louis Le Vau opened up the interior court to create the expansive entrance cour d'honneur, later copied all over Europe. | |
| Country | France |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | i, ii, vi |
| Reference | 83 |
| Region** | Europe |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 1979 (3rd Session) |
|
Location of Versailles in France Île-de-France | |
| * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. ** Region as classified by UNESCO. | |
| Statistical Information on the Palace of Versailles | |
|---|---|
| Floor space | 67,000 m2 |
| Number of windows | 2,153 |
| Number of rooms | 700 |
| Staircases | 67 |
| Paintings in the museum’s collection | 6,123 |
| Drawings in museum’s collection | 1,500 |
| Engravings in museum’s collection | 15,034 |
| Sculptures in museum’s collection | 2,102 |
| Pieces of furniture and objets d’art | 5,210 |
Versailles, a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial center. Located in the western suburbs of the French capital, 17.1 km (10.6 mi) from the center of Paris, the communeis Versailles is the préfecture (administrative seat) of the Yvelines department. According to the 2006 census, the population of the city is 89,490 inhabitants, down from a peak of 94,145 in 1975.
Versailles is historically known for numerous treaties such as Treaty of Paris (1783), which ended the American Revolutionary War, and the infamous Treaty of Versailles following World War I.