Random Absolutely Insane Facts About The Palace of Versailles (15 items)

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  (#14) All That Marble Made It Really, Really Cold

  According to scholar Godfrey Fox Bradby in his book The Great Days of Versailles: Studies from Court Life in the Later Years of Louis XIV, while the immense amount of marble the Palace was constructed of might've been pleasing to the eye, it did little in the way of creature comforts. In fact, it actively made life in Versailles downright uncomfortable in the winter months. Despite having them in many of the rooms, the large fireplaces "shot out a little warmth into the space immediately around them; but they were powerless to affect the broad and chilly surfaces of marble and metal in those large and lofty rooms." The fireplaces did so little by way of keeping rooms warm that, in March of 1695, wine is reported to have frozen in glasses on the King's table.
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  (#8) The King Ate Cold Meals Due To The Kitchen's Distance From His Dining Room

  The Palace could accommodate over 5,000 people between its walls – that's a lot of mouths to feed. In order to serve meals to so many people, the kitchens at the Palace were enormous. They – alone – were attended to by hundreds of servants. However, the kitchens were located quite a distance from the King’s dining room. As a result, his meals were often served cold. The architect didn't think ahead with that not-so-minor detail.
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  (#3) The Sun King Sailed Gondolas On Its Grand Canal

  On the west side of the gardens at Versailles, there's a Grand Canal, which is about one mile long and 203 feet wide. The body of water is so large, it was often used for naval demonstrations, and Louis XIV sailed boats, including gondolas, in it. The Grand Canal is the largest body of water on the grounds of Versailles. It and the two rectangular pools nearby contain more than 15 decorative water features.
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  (#1) The Palace Of Versailles Cost Hundreds Of Billions To Build

  After accounting for inflation, experts believe the Palace of Versailles cost between $200 and $300 billion to build in contemporary money – an almost unthinkable sum for the construction of a single (even palatial) residence. King Louis XIV spent about one third of the entire building budget just on fountains for the garden. Over 35,000 workers helped build the Palace in the Île-de-France region of France on the outskirts of Paris. The Palace has 700 rooms, 67 staircases, and 1,200 fireplaces, and it's spread out over 2,014 acres.
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  (#7) The Garden's Fountains Were Advanced For Their Time

  The Gardens' water fountains were pressurized and jetted water high into the air, causing quite a spectacle for guests. However, due to issues with water supply, they were only turned on during special occasions, according to Tony Spawforth, author of Versailles: A Biography of the Palace. The Gardens included over 50 spectacular fountains with 620 jets. Today, many of the fountains (of which there were originally 1,400) include the same hydraulic systems from over 300 years ago.
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  (#13) One's Living Quarters Depended On His Or Her Favor With The King

  There were approximately 350 living spaces in the Palace, and they varied in size due to a person’s station or standing with the King. For example, the crown prince, AKA the dauphin, lived in a large apartment on the ground floor, while a servant may have only had a small space in the attic or a bed behind a staircase. Louis XIV's bedroom was considered the most important room in the Palace. Two very important events took place there each day: he would wake up and go to sleep surrounded by courtiers. There were also special ceremonies for putting on and removing his boots. 

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