Palais Royal

Palais Royal of Paris or as the French themselves call it - Palais Royal, located near the Louvre, is one of the most beautiful and grandiose buildings in Paris, including a palace with stunning architecture, a park and a garden.

This palace was originally called the Cardinal Palace: Palais Cardinal, as it was built by order of Cardinal Richelieu in 1636. And the palace was designed by the royal architect Jacques Lemercier. The cardinal was a great connoisseur of art and, by his order, a gallery, library and theater were created in the palace. The cardinal bequeathed his palace to the king, and therefore, in 1642, he began to be called the Palais Royal. In the following decades, the palace became a meeting point for the royal court.

After Richelieu's death, Queen Anne of Austria settled here, her sons and her adviser Cardinal Mazarin. Later, Louis, the son of Anna of Austria, presented the palace to his brother Philip of Orleans. In need of funds, Philip turned the palace into an entertainment center, where various cafes, theatres, a circus and even a brothel were located.

The palace was burned down during the uprising of the Paris Commune in 1870 and later rebuilt for use as the seat of government offices up to the present day.

The Palais Royal garden, with many flower beds and a large pond in the middle, can be seen in the courtyard. Once created in 1970 by Victor Louis, these gardens were much larger.

On the territory of the palace you can see such sights as Buren's Columns, which are installations of modern art - black and white striped columns, faced with marble; an unusual fountain by Paul Bury, which appeared in 1985. It also houses the only state theater in France - "Comedie Francaise".

More information You can find at the Official website of Paris or at Wikipedia.

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