I have to tell you again on my dear Versailles,always will be there for me, Many memorable times spent in my former city, If Paris is worth a Republic, Versailles is worth a Kingdom ! This is Versailles where we spent the first 9+ years of our lives in France, The city of Versailles is the capital of the department 78 of Yvelines sin the Île de France region of my belle France,I found me again older pictures in my cd rom vault that needs to be in my blog for you and me. The Orangerie is one that is very nice, part of the inside of the palace/museum of Versailles but actually a different history and even before there was a castle. I like to tell you a bit more of the Orangerie of Versailles, part III !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The Orangerie of the Château de Versailles was built by Jules Hardouin-Mansart between 1684 and 1686, it replaces the one built by the Le Vau in 1663 , therefore before the beginning of the works of the palace/museum! The Orangerie (see post) to the south of the Parterre d’Eau of Louis Le Vau was destroyed, in order to adapt the place for a new structure, designed by Hardouin-Mansart. In addition to the orangerie, the staircase of the hundred steps, which facilitates access to the gardens and the Piece d’Eau des Suisses,(see post), and the Parterre du Midi were designed and built at that time, giving to the southern gardens of the castle their current configuration and decoration. The orangery houses in winter more than 1,500 shrubs in boxes, mostly orange trees ,about 900, but also lemons, grenades of which some are centenaries, laurels, myrtles, also, roses all with great big windows laurels, In summer, from June 1 to October 10, orange trees and other boxes are exposed in the Parterre Bas. The orangery is made up of a central gallery 150 meters long, the facade of which is oriented south. This gallery is framed by two side galleries located under the escaliers des Cent Marches or staircases of the hundred steps. The whole, lit by large arched windows, enclose the Parterre Bas or Parterre de l’orangerie. The Parterre Bas is delimited on its fourth side, to the south, by a balustrade overlooking the road to Saint-Cyr-l’École (D10). This separates it from the pièce d’eau des Suisses. In its center is a large circular basin, surrounded by six pieces of lawn. The Orangerie houses the proserpine kidnapping statue by Pluto (1696) by François Girardon.
The escaliers des Cent Marches or Hundred Steps stair seen from the N10 road dir St Cyr l’école. The two Stairs of the Cent Marshes or hundred steps of the Domaine de Versailles frame the central gallery of the Orangerie. Two smaller side galleries are located under these stairs. The one hundred steps stair is in fact 103 and 105 steps whose proportions (13 cm x 39.5 cm or about 5,1 by 16.6 inches)) accommodate the steps wonderfully, to the point that it is as easy to climb as to descend. Two return galleries end under the monumental staircases of the hundred steps which act as buttresses to the whole. The walls, 4 to 5 meters thick (about 13 to 16.5 feet), the double glazing of the bays and the exposure to the South allow to maintain the winter a temperature which does not drop below 5 ° C or about 41F.
The official Château de Versailles on the Orangerie: https://en.chateauversailles.fr/discover/estate/gardens/orangery#the-building
The official Château de Versailles on the park: https://en.chateauversailles.fr/discover/estate/park
The Versailles tourist office on the gardens : https://en.versailles-tourisme.com/the-versailles-gardens.html
There you go folks a must to see while in Versailles, it will take you more than a day to see it all , I would give it 3 and that is just the Domaine of Versailles. Need more to see the rest of the city wonders. The Orangerie is a natural history of Versailles, and France! Again, hope you enjoy this post onthe Orangerie of Versailles, part III as I
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 