Grand Trianon
The Grand Trianon or Large Trianon is a pleasure palace in the park of the Palace of Versailles near Paris in France, which King Louis XIV by the architect Jules Hardouin -Mansart was built as a private retreat.
The Grand Trianon
History of the Grand Trianon
Louis XIV acquired in 1668 Situated on the site of today's castle village Trianon Park to enhance the park of Versailles. After removal of the village an ensemble of a larger and four smaller ones clustered around a courtyard pavilion was built from 1670 to 1672 by Louis Le Vau. The larger King Pavilion, which consisted of a central hall and a " Appartement de Diane " and "Apartment des Amours " should only be used short-term stays other pavilions were determined to make a meal. The buildings were richly decorated with faience tiles, which is why the place Trianon de Porcelaine was called. This jewelry has proved to be winterized and after a few years, the tiles were cracked in large part and the whole in a bad condition.
The king decided to build a bigger castle, which should serve as a resting place him away from Versailles. It was built in 1687-1688 by Jules Hardouin -Mansart. This building was designed with precious marbles and called Trianon de Marbre; it retained this name until the construction of the adjacent Petit Trianon. Here the king withdrew with his favorite, Madame de Maintenon, where he was able to recover before the court ceremonial and etiquette. The visit of Trianon was different from that of Versailles, not anyone allowed and an invitation from the King was an extraordinary honor. The castle was also after the death of Louis XIV - after a short period of vacancy - one of the preferred whereabouts of his successors. Only the construction of the Petit Trianon lost the great model in importance, the Court now gathered around Marie Antoinette, who there coined as a later owner of the Little Trianon a whole epoch.
Even Napoleon was referring briefly several rooms of the Grand Trianon - which he originally zudachte his mother - and had the castle and some rooms get ready for, after the now more than a hundred year old building had become dilapidated.
1920 here the Treaty of Trianon was signed, a part of the Versailles Treaty, which should mark the end of the First World War.
Architecture of the castle
The Grand Trianon extends as mehrflügeliger building north of the Grand Canal. The focal point is the peristyle, a portico, leading away from the individual building sections. The open, clear view imaging in the gardens hall has been built in this form the direct instigation of the king, who demanded a review of the court of honor in the gardens, and thought to use the space in the summer and airy dining room. During the 19th century the peristyle was temporarily closed with large windows, now it shows up again in its original image. Balustrades, hide the flat roof of the Grand Trianon, were decorated to the French Revolution with statues, vases and trophies, this jewelry but was then sacked and not restored. Apart from the north wing, the so-called Trianon sous Bois, the entire building is one storey and thus mediates through the large arched windows an impression of spaciousness and generosity. The wing Trianon sous Bois is connected to the symmetrical garden facade of the Grand Trianon through a long gallery building and was, among other things, the preferred residence of Liselotte of the Palatinate.
During the time that was inhabited castle, changes in equipment have been made again and again, so some rooms still show in its baroque decoration, especially those inhabited by Napoléon rooms however are in the style of the Empire transformed.
Since the reign of Charles de Gaulle's an apartment for the French head of state is established at Trianon sous Bois. The castle is still used for receptions and similar events by the French government today, is open for visitors but.
The garden of the Trianon
Around the castle there are the Baroque gardens, which underline the importance of the Trianon Palace gardens as yet. At the time of the Sun King, the flowers in the Broderieparterres were not planted directly in the ground, but it was a system of earthen pots developed which made it possible to replace the plants in a short time by others. Thus, the floral decorations could be completely replaced within a few hours. The gardens go directly to the park of the Petit Trianon and forms a separate area within the Versailles palace gardens.