Versailles was at start only a village and royal hunting place. The king Louis XIV then decided that the royal court should leave the Louvre in Paris and ordered a palace to be built there.
At its peak, the city had a population of more than 50000 and was the capital of the kingdom of France, which it stayed until the French revolution.
The palace evolved under Napoleon, but was then nearly abandoned before being made a national monument in the 19th century. Its extensive gardens designed by the omnipresent Le Notre and its numerous buildings scattered in a very large estate make it one of the major attractions of Ile de France.
The official website of the Palace of Versailles provides complete information on the visits and special events taking place there. www.chateauversailles.fr/en/
