In the nineteenth century, the Palace of Versailles takes a second wind. Louis-Philippe, king of France since 1830, decided to create a museum of the History of France, dedicated to "all the glories of France".
Following the French Revolution, the Palace was abandoned by the French political power. It was only with the coronation of Louis-Philippe (cousin of Louis XVI) in 1830 that the Château de Versailles came back to life. In 1833, this king, passionate about history, decided to remodel the castle, thus deciding to deprive it of its role as a royal residence and turn it into a museum.
The collection consisted of paintings, sculptures, drawings and engravings representing figures and national events from the origins of France. These collections are composed of ancient royal collections, private and contemporary creations. Louis-Philippe asked his architect Frederic Nepveu to make the necessary transformations to transform the habitable parts of the North and Midi wings into museums.
The museum, inaugurated in 1837, served Louis-Philippe's propaganda tool, allowing him to legitimize his place as a king but also to reconcile supporters of different regimes.
Following the fall of Louis Philippe, Napoleon III continued the installations, but it is only at the end of the 19th century, that curator Pierre de Nolhac gives back to Versailles its character of royal residence and reorganizes the collections.
This museum is now closed to the public. Only a few rooms can be visited during the guided tour "Versailles through the centuries" organized by the national domain of Versailles.
This museum "to all the glories of France" is now composed of the following parts:
Crusades Room
The halls of Africa, Crimea and Italy
The Empire Room
The penthouses of the north and the south
The collection consisted of paintings, sculptures, drawings and engravings representing figures and national events from the origins of France. These collections are composed of ancient royal collections, private and contemporary creations. Louis-Philippe asked his architect Frederic Nepveu to make the necessary transformations to transform the habitable parts of the North and Midi wings into museums.
The museum, inaugurated in 1837, served Louis-Philippe's propaganda tool, allowing him to legitimize his place as a king but also to reconcile supporters of different regimes.
Following the fall of Louis Philippe, Napoleon III continued the installations, but it is only at the end of the 19th century, that curator Pierre de Nolhac gives back to Versailles its character of royal residence and reorganizes the collections.
This museum is now closed to the public. Only a few rooms can be visited during the guided tour "Versailles through the centuries" organized by the national domain of Versailles.
This museum "to all the glories of France" is now composed of the following parts:
Crusades Room
The halls of Africa, Crimea and Italy
The Empire Room
The penthouses of the north and the south
