Versailles

Formerly de facto capital of the kingdom of France, Versailles is now a suburb of Paris. The city of Versailles is located 17.1 kilometers west-southwest from the center of Paris. It has an area of 26.18 square kilometers. According to 2005 estimates, the city has 86,400 inhabitants. Versailles is the capital of the Yvelines département.

Versailles was the principal residence of the kings of France from 1678 to 1793. It was also the seat of government from 1682 to 1789.

Versailles is first mentioned in a medieval document dated A.D. 1038. At this time Versailles was a small village surrounding a medieval castle and the Saint Julien church. Versailles' farming activity and its location on the road from Paris to Dreux and Normandy brought relative prosperity to the village. However, the Hundred Year's War in the 14th century brought death and destruction. The village though started to recover after the war in the 15th century.

Martial de Loménie, secretary of state for finances under King Charles IX, became lord of Versailles in 1561. He was murdered on August 24, 1572. The Gondi family took control of his estate in 1575. In 1624, King Louis XIII ordered Philibert Le Roy to build a chateau on a land he bought in Versailles. Eventually, King Louis XIII acquired the lordship of Versailles in 1632 and proceeded to enlarge the chateau between 1632 and 1634.

King Louis XIII died in 1643. His son, Louis XIV, resumed work on the chateau in 1662. Louis transformed the chateau in order to accommodate the royal court. The court and the government was established in Versailles on May 6, 1682. The royal court, however, departed from Versailles for Paris in 1789. Versailles was a tourist destination for most of the 19th century. In 1870, the French government ruled from the city.

Versailles was absorbed by the urban area of Paris after 1919. As part of Paris' urban area, Versailles experienced strong growth in its population and economy.