The Palace of Versailles was the principal residence of the Kings of France from Louis XIV in 1682 until the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789. It is located in the Yvelines Department of the Île-de-France region, about twenty kilometers southwest of the centre of Paris.
The palace is now a French Historic Monument and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, notable especially for the ceremonial Hall of Mirrors, the jewel-like Opera theater, and royal apartments; for the more intimate royal residences, the Grand Trianon and Petit Trianon located within the park; the small rustic "hamlet" created for Marie Antoinette; and the vast Gardens of Versailles with fountains, canals, and geometric flower beds and groves, laid out by André le Nôtre. The Palace was stripped of all its furnishings after the French Revolution, but many pieces have been returned and many of the palace rooms have been restored.