Ville de Versailles
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Do you see a beautiful mansion high up on the other side of the road? This is the local City Hall – the Hotel de Ville. Being a highly centralized country, France always pays great importance to its city halls, so Versailles City Hall is another beautiful, imposing building.
It consists of two distinct parts. The lower one faces the Avenue de Gaulle and has a wide staircase leading down to the street, whereas the higher one faces the Avenue de Paris. Even though these two parts were structurally separated, the same architectural style unites them. The lower part used to be the first city hall – the building initially belonged to the Princess of Conti, the illegitimate daughter of King Louis XIV, who was famous for throwing lavish parties here, close to the palace.
After the Revolution and the ensuing restoration of the monarchy in the 18th century the mansion was purchased by a grandson of King Louis XV, the Duke of Bourbon. Like Princess Conti, he also loved giving huge parties and grand receptions, so he substantially redecorated the building, added various paintings and sculptures, with extraordinary creativity and virtuosity.
During the Revolution, the building was unoccupied; the city became its official owner only at the end of the 19th century.
Then the other part was built – that facing the Avenue de Paris.
Interestingly enough, in 1968, a number of rooms and galleries of the city hall were filmed for Louis de Funès’ famous comedy, ‘Hibernatus’.
It consists of two distinct parts. The lower one faces the Avenue de Gaulle and has a wide staircase leading down to the street, whereas the higher one faces the Avenue de Paris. Even though these two parts were structurally separated, the same architectural style unites them. The lower part used to be the first city hall – the building initially belonged to the Princess of Conti, the illegitimate daughter of King Louis XIV, who was famous for throwing lavish parties here, close to the palace.
After the Revolution and the ensuing restoration of the monarchy in the 18th century the mansion was purchased by a grandson of King Louis XV, the Duke of Bourbon. Like Princess Conti, he also loved giving huge parties and grand receptions, so he substantially redecorated the building, added various paintings and sculptures, with extraordinary creativity and virtuosity.
During the Revolution, the building was unoccupied; the city became its official owner only at the end of the 19th century.
Then the other part was built – that facing the Avenue de Paris.
Interestingly enough, in 1968, a number of rooms and galleries of the city hall were filmed for Louis de Funès’ famous comedy, ‘Hibernatus’.
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