Château de Marly

The castle Marly- le- Roi was in the French town of Marly- le- Roi in the Yvelines department in the Île- de -France region, about 15 km west of Paris.

History

Even before Louis XIV of France decided to set up its permanent seat in Versailles, he built a private retreat in Marly a hunting lodge and summer palace; the existing small town there Marly has therefore been renamed in Marly -le- Roi. The construction of the royal domicile and the parks changed the face of the city and surrounding areas completely. Construction began in 1679 under the direction of Jules Hardouin -Mansart and lasted until 1686th

The main building was accompanied by a total of twelve individual pavilions, which in turn were associated with small gardens. The symmetrically on the long sides of a central axis disposed of water basins pavilions served to accommodate guests, the king himself lived in the main lock. The buildings were all covered with simulated architecture - hence the actual architecture designed very simple and restrained.

These dispersed method of construction used for the first time in Marly- le Roi, in the form of individual pavilions spread quickly throughout Europe. In the German-speaking area of the castle and the gardens of Marly, for example, a model for the Palais im Grossen Garten Dresden ( 1678-83 ), Clemenswerth at Soegel ( 1737-47 ) and the Mainz Favorite Castle was ( 1700-22 ).

From Marly- le- Roi from water was hydraulically pumped into a 100 feet higher reservoir located in Louveciennes. From there we dined - in each case in the presence of the king - either a cascade in the park or was passed over an aqueduct to the ( inherently low water ) Park of the Palace of Versailles, for the operation of the numerous local water games.

Louis XVI. of France and his wife Marie Antoinette were the last two representatives of the French royal family, who lived in the castle in Marly -le- Roi. After the Revolution the property was abandoned and fell into ruin. It was 1799/1800 sold to a cotton manufacturer, whose factory established in the castle in 1806 but went bankrupt. The following year, Napoleon acquired the property back for the hands of the state, in which it is located today. 1816 Finally, the castle was demolished.

Only a few remains of foundations can be seen from the castle today. The pumping station is no longer available. The gardens are preserved only in a very simplified form. A horse figure group of a horse trough of the former castle terrace is since 1794 at the beginning of the Avenue des Champs -Elysees, 1985 copies were returned in Marly. Some works of art from the castle are exhibited in the Louvre in the Cour Marly.

1932, the park of Marly was declared a "Monument Historique ". The French general Charles de Gaulle stayed here after his resignation several months.

The interior of the main building

Plan of the Baths of Marly

A figure of the group of horses from the park of Marly. Guillaume Coustou the Elder. , To 1745. Nowadays in the Louvre