Hall of Mirrors, Gallery in the Palace of Versailles, France
The Hall of Mirrors is a 73-metre-long gallery on the first floor of the Palace of Versailles, between the Salon of War and the Salon of Peace. Its 17 arched windows face the gardens, and opposite them 17 arches hold 357 mirror panes. The vaulted ceiling covers almost 1,000 square metres of paintings.
Architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart built the corridor between 1678 and 1684 to replace an open terrace. Charles Le Brun designed the ceiling paintings with scenes from the first 18 years of Louis XIV's rule.
The hall's name comes from its 357 mirrors, made by the Manufacture royale de glaces de miroirs that Colbert founded in 1665 and that later became Saint-Gobain; French glassmakers broke Venice's monopoly, and Colbert banned Venetian imports in 1672. During Louis XIV's reign the gallery served mainly as a passage, since the king received important guests in the salons of the Grand Appartement.
The corridor is accessible Tuesday through Sunday between 9 AM and 5:30 PM, either with a guide or on your own. Visitors should arrive early as groups often form during the morning.
On June 28, 1919, the Treaty of Versailles ending World War I was signed here. The ceremony took place at the exact spot where Germany had proclaimed its empire in 1871.
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