All 8 parts, explained
1. Mirrors
Each arch on this wall is filled with mirrors. They reflect the windows across the hall, so the room looks twice as bright.
Fun fact There are 357 mirrors. At the time, large mirrors were very rare and cost a fortune.
2. Windows
Seventeen tall windows look out over the gardens. Sunlight pours in through them and bounces off the mirrors.
Fun fact Each window faces a matching arch of mirrors on the other side of the hall.
3. Painted ceiling
The curved ceiling is covered with paintings by the artist Charles Le Brun. They tell the story of King Louis XIV's reign.
Fun fact The hall was built between 1678 and 1684 to show visitors how rich and powerful France was.
4. Candle stands
Gilded candle stands, called torchères, held candles to light up the hall when the sun went down.
Fun fact On nights of great celebrations, thousands of candles were lit, and the mirrors made the whole hall sparkle.
5. Courtiers
Courtiers were nobles who lived at the palace. They walked here in their finest clothes, hoping to see the king pass by.
Fun fact Every day the king crossed this hall on his way to the chapel, and the courtiers lined up to watch.
6. Wooden floor
The floor is made of oak boards fitted together in a pattern of squares, set at an angle like diamonds.
Fun fact This floor pattern was used so much in the palace that it is still called Versailles parquet today.
7. King's State Apartments
At the far end of the hall, a grand room called the War Salon leads into the King's State Apartments.
Fun fact At the other end of the hall, the Peace Salon leads to the queen's rooms.
8. Council Room
A door in the long wall of the hall opens into the king's own rooms, starting with the Council Room.
Fun fact In 1919, long after the kings, world leaders signed a famous peace treaty in this hall.
