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The Pyramids of Egypt
The temple of Artemis at
Ephesus
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
The Statue of Zeus
The Colossus of Rhodes
Pharos of Alexandria
The Leaning Tower of Pisa
Stonehenge
The Colosseum of Rome
The Great Wall
The Empire State Building
Angkor wat
Golden Gate
Queen Mary
Taj Mahal
Hoover Dam
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 The
Palace of Versailles was the official residence of the Kings of France
from 1682 until 1790. It was originally a hunting lodge, built in
1624, by Louis XIII. It was expanded by Louis XIV beginning in 1669.
He used it as a little lodge as a secret refuge for his amorous trysts
with the lovely Louise de la Valliere and built a fairy tale park
around it. Jules Hardouin Mansart, the king's principal architect,
drew the plans to enlarge what was turning more and more into a palace
from A Thousand and One Nights. The terrace that overlooked the gardens
was removed to make way for the magnificent Hall of Mirrors, the Galarie
de Glaces. It is here from which the king radiated his power and where
the destiny of Europe was decided over a century. The French classical
architecture was complemented by extensive gardens.
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