The site, near a village named Versailles, was a wooded wetland that Louis XIII's court scorned as being generally unworthy of a king one of his courtiers, François de Bassompierre, wrote that the lodge 'would not inspire vanity in even the simplest gentleman'. In 1623, Louis XIII, King of France, built a hunting lodge on a hill in a favorite hunting ground, 19 kilometers (12 mi) west of Paris, and 16 kilometers (10 mi) from his primary residence, the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Main article: History of the Palace of Versailles Versailles around 1652, engraving by Jacques Gomboust The French Ministry of Culture has placed the palace, its gardens, and some of its subsidiary structures on its list of culturally significant monuments.

The palace and park were designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979 for its importance as the center of power, art, and science in France during the 17th and 18th centuries. A museum of French history was installed within it, replacing the apartments of the southern wing. Following the Bourbon Restoration, when the king was returned to the throne, he resided in Paris and it was not until the 1830s that meaningful repairs were made to the palace. Napoleon, following his coronation as Emperor, used Versailles as a summer residence from 1810 to 1814, but did not restore it. For the rest of the French Revolution, the Palace of Versailles was largely abandoned and emptied of its contents, and the population of the surrounding city plummeted. This state of affairs was continued by Kings Louis XV and Louis XVI, who primarily made interior alterations to the palace, but in 1789 the royal family and capital of France returned to Paris. It was a favorite residence for both kings, and in 1682, Louis XIV moved the seat of his court and government to Versailles, making the palace the de facto capital of France. With his death came Louis XIV who expanded the château into the beginnings of a palace that went through several changes and phases from 1661 to 1715. Louis XIII built a simple hunting lodge on the site of the Palace of Versailles in 1623. About 15,000,000 people visit the palace, park, or gardens of Versailles every year, making it one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, under the direction of the French Ministry of Culture, by the Public Establishment of the Palace, Museum and National Estate of Versailles.

The Palace of Versailles ( / v ɛər ˈ s aɪ, v ɜːr ˈ s aɪ/ vair- SY, vur- SY French: Château de Versailles ⓘ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about 19 kilometers (12 mi) west of Paris, France.

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