A private walk around the Royal apartments at Versailles once occupied by the Aunts of Louis XVI. What a opportunity to view the rooms without the general public.
Thank you for showing us all of this unaccompanied by the typical blather other people feel compelled to burden us with. The scenes speak for themselves.
Thank you thank you thank you. First video I've seen of walking through the chateau as a normal person and what you'd see. I've always wondered what was behind the main entrance. This is soooo much better than those contrived, "professional" videos. I'm much more interested in what the picture books DON'T show.
I am also interested to get glimpses of what is behind those big rooms, where the servants used to move along connecting corridors and small staircases. Once in a great while an official with a bunch of big keys opens a door and you get a quick glimpse and the rooms are much smaller and homey. You see closets and cupboards. Behind the queens room there is a small winding staircase, rather shabby that takes you downstairs to her private bath, nicely restored. There is a furnace room, in bad shape, somewhere upstairs for hot water. I saw this in a video. Once in a great while you see a room that is being restored and that is a treat.
The craftsmanship of those rooms is just impeccable. During its heyday nobody ever took a little breeze around the rooms like we see here. Etiquette forbade it.
Thank you for sharing the tour of Versailles with all of us. Thank you for letting us enjoy each room and the incredible contents without descriptions, this was absolutely refreshing!! You can find everything you want about Versailles and the main rooms everyone wants to see, but I DO appreciate seeing the relatives rooms as well. Thank you again sir.
Thank you for uploading this! I do think it is a pity they don't show the rooms the way they really were, packed and loaded with flowers, birds in cages, little jars with sweets, bottles of perfume, books, drawings, games and so on.
olivier bernier mentions in his book Pleasure and Privilege that these 18th century rooms were put together as a whole, rugs, furniture design, boiseries, chandeliers, sconces... all of it. with the many parts scattered who knows where, to recreate the sense of what it really was, impossible. what we get are these well intended mis-mashes. and we sense that this is NOT it.
tupacamaru2 I am interested in this book too. Good reference reading for sure! Excellent library keeper, it seems. Just as analogy, if we consider the fact that the American High Victorian design establishment drew inspiration right there, at Versailles one can imagine how much more cluttered this entire palace would have really been with exotic possessions from afar, gifts, collections, opulence & all. A lot of original Marie Antoinette and Josephine Bonaparte furnishings are confined to the residences of today's nobles, the higher tier of Hollywood elite, industrialist tycoons, and the more eccentric of the ole Forbes gueesers who appreciate the finer _objets d'art_ . I have an MS RAU antiques (New Orleans) catalog from the late 1990s with an authentic armoire that belonged to Josephine Bonaparte. It was listed for sale at over 400 thousand dollars at that time. The Rau family has had the privilege to hold and resell Antoinette objects. From time to time some of these buyers fall into financial ruin or die, and careless family heirs sell off some of these pieces. Other stuff is secured forever in climatized vaults in basements around the world...
@tupacamaru2 Not so; decorated according to some paintings from the 18th century. In fact, the rooms were sparsely furnished at that time; only the private "petits appartements" were lavishly furnished.
Wow..love this video..really brilliant...possibly one of the best videos because no noise and hordes of people...love all the tiny details that you filmed ( lamps and mirrors and dressers with perfume bottles and hairbrushes and clocks and bookcases with books and all those magnificent paintings on the walls)...absolutely magnificent....
What strikes me is the eerie sense of tension I can feel even through the phone video. If those walls could talk. The ONLY person enjoying himself in the whole place was King Louis XIV all others were kept preoccupied with fear and loathing. I noticed in two rooms what looks like that era’s version of a day bed with matching curtains and in the second room with similar day bed a matching crib and fire screen.The paintings alone must be worth fortune let alone the chairs desks and mantle clocks with matching pieces for each hearth I wonder how much the taxes in France pay to subsidize the maintenance of the place. It must be astronomical! And viewers could you just appreciate for what it is? A free video? PLLLEEEZZE
I believe many years ago American corporate donors began a tradition of helping to restore the palace. When we were there in 2008 some of the gilt candelabras in the Hall of Mirrors were away being conserved, and I believe we were told the US was doing that. I think the French have raised funds now too. But much of the saving of the palace was at the gift of our corporations. I am glad. It is truly the most beautiful building I have ever been in.
A book about the American involvement in the restoration was published in 1999. The author is Pascale Richard and the title is "Versailles, the American Story". It is an English translation of the earlier French version.
I really enjoyed watching this one, and thinking what a treasure France has in this mind blowing palace! I’m American and my country has nothing even close to this in our history.
We were there a couple of years ago and honestly it is so overwhelming you just can't take it all in. Details details details......what history. In its hay day totally furnished before the revolution it must have been amazing.....
What strikes me most about all these "informed" comments is the fact that no one who seems to have such knowledge of the subject seems to realize that no one would have referred to the queen as Marie. She was referred to as Antoinette.
I too visited Versailles in 1982 at age of 17.5. So much I wanted to trespass into forbidden areas yet being an American, I wasn't willing to go to jail to satisfy eternal curiosities. Years later, I wish I had... Yet learning all I have since then, the stench of urine everywhere in that site, lol, still is with me!!! Lmao!!! Royal urine = rich his- & her- stories. Cherishing those blessed memories of my youth at 52.5 yrs-old today. La Petite Trinone was my favorite as it was bypassed during my high school tour & it still haunts me decades later... May God bless 4ever that sacred site & all its memories: bad, good & otherwise... 💖💖💖✌
Fitzroi ....hey Fitzy!! You forgot to mention the BIGGEST thief in the US!!! TRUMP!!! Stealing from the poor and giving to the mega rich, mega billion dollar companies...all to be paid off the backs of the working class...hey!!! Maybe Americans will remember the French revolution and act on this vile crooked government as the French did!! I’m sure Frump would say..”let them eat KFC” ...Lock the draft dodger Trump up!!!
Not being a socialist I disagree with your words because not everybody is created equal. If vote was granted only to educated people life would be quite different.
Thank you very much🙌🏻🙌🏻 Great video, now the gardens, fountains, grand Trianon, Petit Trianon everything please 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻👍🏻👍🏻 I forget coronavirus for a moment 😢
Isn’t it amazing the opulence in this place while the people of France were starving. I understand that Queen Marie Antoinette tried to get the King to open the reserve flour so they could come and stock their homes and he did not listen to her. There were other things done behind her back about a very pricey necklace she refused to buy because of her concern about the wellbeing of her people’s hunger at that time. Are any of these incidents true? America better learn from history when the upper echelon of our society holds most of this countries wealth.
Judy Evancic That's a blatant lie. Marie may have been slightly more caring than the average aristocrat but painting her out as a saint of the people a downright a falsification. She was lavish, pompous and spoiled. She lived every moment of her life in luxury until the dissolving of the monarchy where she finally felt the standards of her people when she was imprisoned in the conceierageries. She cared only for herself and her children, besides that she barely batted an eye.
You are completely wrong. Marie Antoinette was a caring person along with her husband Louis XVI. It would seem you are basing your comments on that stupid movie by Coppala, which was a complete fabrication. Yes, Marie Antoinette lived a life of privilege, but she was extremely unhappy as the French court was very stiff compared to her Austrian court which is why she often went to her Petit Trianon and hameau - to escape all the backbiting in the French court. She was a victim of the times but more importantly of aristocrats, one being a brother in law who spread lies about her and helped turn the populace against the monarchy. For the first years initially she was revered by the people and she did help them. Sadly it was not enough. To Judy, the affair of the diamond necklace was a plot against her. It was made for the favorite of Louis XV but later offered to Marie Antoinette who declined it. It was definitely not her style as she was more subdued. At any rate there are some very good books for reference which dispel some of these falsehoods you both may be under.
Billie Ford the tragedy is what many are saying here. The people starved while these people’s lives were so disgustingly bloated with riches and wealth. I’d rather read up about the poor in France. Thanks.
Thank you, It is a dream of mine to visit France and this would be one of my destinations. However, I'm not sure if I'll ever make it there before I die. So thank you! ❤
Thinking of the time all of this was constructed I find it truly amazing - know some are reproductions but still - my question is how did they keep the ceilings clean from all of the smoke from the candles?
Those castles were impressive but for sure not a clean place. There were people peeing in the corners and drinks have to be covered, otherwise there was a big chance that little animals would fall in.
I can imagine the noise present in the day. The echo I hear magnifies in my head when you consider horse drawn carriages possibly animals of some type & all the people. WOW this place is huge. I am surprised however the size of the doorways where not as big as I expected considering the gowns M. Antoinette wore. I was under the impression that there where door ways made to accommodate the size of these gowns.
Have a question- we're people shorter during that time period? That bed is very short compared with the Queens bed and compared with the Kings bed-why is that the. Case?
It’s a beautiful museum and work of art . My first thought is , “ at what cost to the people of France who were starving and living in squalor. Is it any wonder that people revolted?” Today it isn’t royalty who live in palaces , instead, now it’s people like the Koch brothers who want more and more , at the expense of the earth and humans . I’m glad the revolutionaries didn’t burn it down . It just made me question how do they justify the cost . Ann feeney, Harrisburg , Pa
mjcard : I don’t get your response “ you mean the Clintons.” They are far from the billionaire class . And they don’t own industries that damage the environment . Please explain.
Ann Feeney These rulers freemasons even though they call Jesus’s name they don’t practice his teachings he’s a front for them, and if you’re not in their club,you are their slaves, they are Satanist even those wonderful people in the Vatican and that beautiful lady in Buckingham palace with her family,We now know when they say in God we trust,they mean Satan, privately the believe Satan is the true son of God, they have been robbing humanity since the beginning of time,maybe Jesus is right when he said in the Scriptures they are the devils children.
Well, every royal family has its own lavish mansion, all the royal families spend more than needed, the French revolted because the taxes keep going higher and thats all because of the war France went to for freeing America. THAT war made France go bankrupt. Its not the queen’s spenditure, its not the royal family’s lavish lifestyle. Its bad money management. Magnificent Chateaux like versailles are everywhere to be honest not only in France, the only difference is maybe that Versailles had non royals living in it such as the nobles and ministers.
Funny you mention the Koch brothers, but fail to mention the richest people like Bill Gates or Warren Buffet. You also forgot to mention that they donate a lot of money that make. Last of all non of these people live off the backs of the poor. They all work and earn their money. You better study history.
So silly to move the camcorder around so quickly that you can’t really enjoy what you are seeing. Too bad, this would have been an excellent video had you lingered a little longer on things and not zoom across the rooms like your running a sprint. Waste really.
Go down to the cogwheel at the lower right at the bottom and click on it. You can regulate speed, and quality of the picture. This sometimes distorts music or people talking but that is not a problem here. Another guy had great European videos but he made them for people exercising on treadmills. I ran his at 75 percent speed. You could go down to 25 percent of normal if you want.
Yep and this is still going on. People starving and freezing in housing projects in The Bronx and Harlem and the richest 1% living just a few miles away. You'd think we would know better by now.
Enjoyed the video. Slow down!! It was though you were in a rush the entire time. Was there a time constraint for you to be in there? Because it felt like it. You showed a close-up of every single 'clock' in every single room. In one of the rooms it appeared there was an organ? Kept 'hoping' you'd show a close-up of that. But no, you showed a close up of.... the 'clock.' LOL Even though a little frustrating, I still enjoyed it. Thank you.
My Versailles book details the following: (its a long list) ready? Introduction, plan of entrances to the royal estate, several dates, general plan of the chateaux, the chateau, entrance courtyards,17th century rooms, royal chapel, Hercules room, plan of the 1st floor of the chateau, state apartment, the hall of mirrors, Queen's apartment, coronation room & 1792 room, hall of battles, the queen's staircase, king's apartment, king's private suite, Mme de maintenon's apartment, Queen's private cabinets, the King's private apartments, royal opera, 18th century rooms, consulate & empire rooms, 19th century rooms, the gardens, plan of the gardens, east-west axis, north-south axis, the groves, Trianon, the grand trianon, tour of the grand trianon, small trianon, plan of Marie-Antoinette's hamlet, genealogy.
Lol thank god they didnt have electricity back then. That would have cost the whole country’s budget on Versailles alone. With all these chandeliers sconces and fountains.
What intrigues me is that despite the unimaginable luxury, the rooms face each other like a wagon. Didn't you feel the need for privacy in those days? I've seen Versailles about 5 times - each time and I still haven't seen it all. But nowhere have I seen rooms separated by passageways. To reflect on the psychology of those times.
These rooms might have been the apartment of a single person combined. Nevertheless people living at court probably had very little privacy in the sense we consider it today.
How lucky to walk through alone and not with throngs of people. How lucky! Is that a bedroom? Or a sitting room? I didnt think some of the salon rooms had doors. I see they do. I wish they would go through the entire palace like this vid. Quiet and having the cam look around. Felt like I was there.
Anybody know what are those furniture pieces like the one at 3:08? They have a canopy of sorts. But they look too short to be a bed and too deep to be a chair or sofa.
The average female was 4'3" and the male counterpart 4'7" and yes, the beds have a canopy above them. This style of furniture was very common among the royals and nobles of the day.
@@gloriahanes6490- Thank you. They sure were tiny! From what I remember when seeing some authentic armour years ago, on display in an old castle in Germany, the small size of their waist was remarkable to me. Seemed to be 25" at most on the inside of the armour. They stood a little taller than my 5'5" self. Maybe the knights back then were the big jock celebrity hunks of their time. Haha!
All those videos are great but I do wonder : at what moment people look at what they are filming with their own eyes, and not through a screen ? It seems so, so strange.
I designed an entire house with just one Royal room. The house was small. Just the fireplace in the back of the room with doors left and right to bedrooms one and two. A kitchen behind left wall and exquisitely beautiful marble bath behind the right wall. That is all just the window door in front. And sliding mirrors that were left and right of the fireplace that slide open to cozy bedrooms behind them. The mirrors don't look like doors. Thanks for more little home ideas all gilded out. Grace
