Did nobles pay rent to live Versailles?

Many of the wealthiest nobles had an hotel somewhere close ( like in the city of Versailles ) where they retreated after the day at court. There the hotel was theirs (bought or rented ) and when they organized festivities or hold their " own little court " it was up to them to pay of course.

How did nobles live in Versailles?

French royals, nobles, and state officials lived together in the sprawling palace complex. But despite the regal setting, everyday life for courtiers at Versailles was often stressful, regimented, and surprisingly unsanitary. The palace of Versailles was King Louis XIV's pet project.

Why were nobles forced to live at Versailles?

The king required the great nobles to attend court because he sought to ensure their loyalty. They came because they considered it their right and privilege and because they received social and material rewards for doing so. The vast majority of the French nobility did not live at Versailles.

Where did the nobles live at Versailles?

Members of the royal family and those with important roles had apartments overlooking the gardens, while courtiers of lesser importance were accommodated on the city-side or in the Palace outbuildings, such as the Grand Commun or the Stables. Courtiers with a role were said to be “established” in the Court.

What was life like at Versailles for the French nobility?

Life in Versailles Palace seems luxurious; the royal family had the best doctors at their disposal, swapped clothes several times a day and ate the most exclusive dishes. The king kept several mistresses on after, had a lot of children and lived in a beautiful palace with proverbial spacious gardens.

What It Was Like To Live At Versailles

Where did they poop in Versailles?

Anthony Spaworth's Versailles: A Biography of a Palace informs us, “In the eighteenth century there were public latrines placed in the corridors and stairwells of the palace [of Versailles], the Grand Commons, and the other annexes: these latrines consisted of a room with a wooden seat, or lunette, closed by a cover in ...

Did the French watch the king poop?

At the grand couvert, the king dined with his family - and nobles literally sat on stools to watch them. Visitors to Versailles often viewed the ceremony, as well.

How much did Versailles cost?

Since then, every country's king has added to the building and design of today's Versailles. Its total cost was equivalent to $50.7 billion in 2017 dollars. It is without a doubt the most expensive palace in the world. The estimated cost of construction is 1.5 billion euros ($1.7 billion).

How much would Versailles cost today?

The Palace of Versailles is massive and its extensive gardens even more so. The host to nearly 10 million visitors every year, the palace is comprised of 2,300 rooms and encompasses a staggering 679,784 square feet of floor space. The approximate cost to build the structure today would be $50.7 billion U.S. dollars.

Why did Louis XIV keep nobles at Versailles?

He required all the great nobility of France, to come live at Versailles for at least part of the year. This has the effect of reducing one major threat to his power - Nobility. He separated power from status and grandeur: secured the nobles' cooperation. Louis XIV required the nobles to live at the palace.

Does Versailles smell today?

While paintings of Louis XIV's opulent court at Versailles show royals clad in gorgeously embroidered garments, viewers today are missing one of the main effects of their finery: the odor of hundreds of garments that have never been washed, all in one unventilated room.

Where did the French nobility live?

250 families in total comprised this group, the majority living in Paris or at court. The second group numbered around 3,500 families with incomes between 10,000 l. and 50,000 l. These were the rich provincial nobility.

How many apartments were in Versailles?

Dividing walls were built, mezzanines created and from 103 apartments in 1684, the building contained 220 by 1722. Thus, when Louis XV returned to Versailles, nearly 1,500 people lived in the building, not counting the non-resident staff who came to work there every day.

Who paid for the Palace of Versailles?

20th century

Between 1925 and 1928, the American philanthropist and multi-millionaire John D. Rockefeller gave $2,166,000, the equivalent of about thirty million dollars today, to restore and refurbish the palace. More work took place after World War II, with the restoration of the Royal Opera of Versailles.

Does Versailles have bathrooms?

There are several toilets and free changing tables for babies at your disposal all over the Estate. In the Palace, there are toilets and changing tables before the ticket checks in the South Ministers' Wing and after the ticket checks in the basement of the Dufour Pavilion (Entrance A).

Which is the richest Palace in the world?

The most expensive Palace is Forbidden City Complex in Beijing, China. The estimated market value of the Forbidden City along with the land and its entire contents is more than $70 billion. This is making the Palace both the most expensive Palace and real estate anywhere in the world.

Do the Siegels still own Versailles?

With Westgate Resorts' improved finances as of 2013, Siegel now owns the property outright and construction has resumed. Completion was scheduled for 2016. Then as of March 2017 the completion date had been pushed back to at least 2019.

Can someone buy Versailles?

You can buy all the tickets on site, at the Palace ticket office in the South Ministers' Wing (on the left of the Honour Courtyard). On Musical Fountains show and Musical Gardens days, if you only want to access the gardens, you can buy a ticket for the gardens online or on site.

Does anyone live in Palace of Versailles?

Located there are the apartments of the dauphin, the dauphine, and the daughters of Louis XV. The private apartments of the queen, Marie-Antoinette, and the living quarters of the captain of the guard are also found on the ground floor.

Did servants live in cupboards in Versailles?

But where did they stay? Most apartments consisted of a bedchamber, a cabinet and perhaps a wardrobe. The lucky ones could add a few antechambers or had rather large rooms. In this context, the servants' quarters were in the wardrobe.

What drugs were used at Versailles?

Tobacco, herbs and possibly opium in lauanum - snuff and coffee, though coffee was very expensive. Coca leaves didn't travel well and were not used. The sniffing of that white stuff was fantasy.

What kind of bug crawled into the Queen's ear in Versailles?

Thoughts on Versailles: The Queen's mysterious ear bug…

It is called Triatoma infestans and very ugly.

How smelly was Versailles?

Built on swampland, Versailles was described by a visitor in 1764 as an odiferous cesspool of dead cats, urine, excrement, slaughtered pigs, standing water, and mosquitoes. Inside the palace, things smelled different. Many royals in Louis XIV's day eschewed hot water baths, believing them bad for the health.

Why was Versailles so dirty?

Even the gardens weren't safe from the filth. One of the reasons for this was that Versailles was built on former marshland, and some areas still retained a foul odour. When summer came, this was even worse as the smell would mingle with the sweat, feces, and grime creating a truly pungent mix.

Is the gate at Versailles real gold?

During the French Revolution that began in 1789, the French revolutionary government ordered to dismantle the front gate, which was completely covered with gold. In 2008, the gate was recreated and decorated with 100,000 gold leaves.