Versailles started as a hunting ground for Henry IV and his son Louis XIII hada hunting lodge built here. The Palace we now see developed around this nucleus. Concruction began in 1661 and continued for a long part of his reign. Once construction was completed this began the Royal resdidense.
On October 5, 1789, the people of Paris marched on Versailles, in-vaded the palace and took the royal family back to the capital. In 1793 after the fall of the Monarchy the furnishing were sold at an auction and the works of art were transfered to the Louvre. Napoleon never like Versailles and it become a little run down. Louis Philippe ordered it to be restored, paying in part out of his own pocket and turning it over to the country as a historical museum.
The spectacular Hall of Mirrors with its marvelous gilded wood candelabra. This is where the great receptions and official cerimonies took place and was where the Germain Empire was officially proclaimed in 1871 and where the Peace conference which led to the signing of the Versailles Treaty was held in 1919. The hall is 73 metres long and took 10 years to complete starting in 1689.