Versailles-Château-Rive-Gauche: station history
Served by: RER C.
Did you know?
An SNCF station in Versailles, opened in the Saint-Louis district when the line from Paris to Versailles along the left bank of the Seine was inaugurated, and descended from the Maine embarcadère, the original station of Paris-Montparnasse. The project was financed by Achille Fould and operation entrusted to Camille Polonceau. It was rebuilt during the period when Versailles hosted the government and the Chamber of Deputies, from 1871 to 1879. It is a dead-end terminus, at 130 metres above sea level, at kilometre point 17.626, with three platforms and five platform tracks.
Anecdote
Formerly Versailles-Rive-Gauche, it was renamed Versailles-Château-Rive-Gauche to help tourists find their way, by decision of the SNCF, the STIF and the city, the press release being dated 2 February 2012. It is the station closest to the Palace of Versailles, about 500 metres from the entrance gate on avenue de Sceaux. The glass roofs, in poor condition, were renovated, and an entrance decoration was made in 2015 by Didier Saulnier and Sébastien Looren. It is one of the termini of RER line C.
Audio guide
Versailles, official residence of the kings of France
From a modest hunting lodge located at the top of the Versailles plateau, Louis XIV made it the official residence of the kings of France. Considered one of the most important monuments of classical architecture, the Palace of Versailles covers 63,154 m2, divided into 2,300 rooms!
The starting point is a small castle built by Louis XIII, who used it as a hunting rendezvous. Louis XIV decided to build the palace. The court moved there permanently in 1682, and the castle remained the royal residence until October 1789.
Several big names collaborated: Louis Le Vau and Jules Hardouin-Mansart for architecture, Charles Le Brun for the direction of the decor, and André Le Nôtre for the gardens.
The Hall of Mirrors was entrusted to Hardouin-Mansart in 1678 and completed in 1686. More than 70 metres long, it is lined with several hundred mirrors.
Around Versailles-Château-Rive-Gauche
- Château de Versailles, 350 m away — Home to French kings from Louis XIV to Louis XVI, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Jardins de Versailles, 750 m away — André Le Nôtre's masterpiece, with its flowerbeds, fountains and groves across 800 hectares.