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Versailles, la Malmaison
With its Fascinating "Le Grand Siècle" atmosphere, Versailles is one of the most prestigious
monuments of the world's artistic heritage and certainly the finest and most complete achievement of
the 17th Century French Art. King Louis XIII's former hunting lodge, was enlarged by Louis XIV The
Sun King. He engaged the great masters creators of Vaux le Vicomte.
The Royal Apartments, The Hall of Mirrors, The Royal Opera, The Grand Trianon (retreat of Louis XIV
from the stiff etiquette of the court), Le Petit Trianon with an English style garden (created for Louis
XV and Madame de Pompadour and the famous queens hamlet added for Queen Marie Antoinette),Versailles
is the model of formal gardens 'a la Française'.
Joséphine de Beauharnais, the Napoleon's First wife, bought La Malmaison as a retreat from
the official Emperor's residences (Fontainebleau and Les Tuileries).
It still has charming rural grounds, the "romantic" English gardens and the famous rose garden are an
absolute must.
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