Versailles, Yvelines

About

Versailles ( vair-SY, vur-SY; French: [vɛʁsɑj] ) is a commune in the department of Yvelines, Île-de-France. It is known for the Château de Versailles and the Gardens of Versailles, the latter of which is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Located in the western suburbs of the French capital, 17.1 km (10.6 mi) from the centre of Paris, Versailles is a wealthy suburb of Paris with a service-based economy and is a major tourist destination. As of 2023, its population was 84,095, down from a peak of 94,145 in 1975.

A new town founded by order of King Louis XIV, Versailles was the de facto capital of the Kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789, before becoming the cradle of the French Revolution. After having lost its status as a royal city, it became the préfecture (regional capital) of the Seine-et-Oise département in 1790, then of Yvelines in 1968. It is also a Roman Catholic diocese.