Fountains at the Château de Versailles (Part 1 of 2)

If you like fountains like we do, then you will want to visit the Musical Fountains Show at the Château de Versailles.

The Château de Versailles was a royal residence.  It was greatly expanded in the second half of the 1600's by French King Louis XIV.  Among the many features added to the château was a very large garden filled with more than a dozen fabulous fountains.  Fortunately, in the past two decades, many of those fountains have been restored, while others have been replaced or added.  

To celebrate the garden, the sculptures, and the fountains of Versailles, the château hosts special shows during the Summer when nearly all of the fountains spout water while beautiful  music plays.  

We visited the Musical Fountains show on a recent sunny day as the guests of our host and expert guide Cyril, a friend of the family, who is a researcher at Versailles. Cyril (pictured below) guided us through the entire park to see all of the working fountains, plus the many statues that decorate the garden. 

Let's take the tour together.  

First, here are some fun facts about the fountains.

Here's another fun fact.  When Louis XIV would visit the garden, each fountain would be turned on before he approached and then turned off after he left.  The water supply and pressure were not sufficient in the late 1600's to operate all of the fountains at once.  Fortunately, the fountain engineers at Versailles today have overcome that challenge, but the fountains are still activated only for brief periods.

The park is large and we needed to move quickly since the fountains operate for a limited period.  Below is a map of the garden, followed by photos of some of the fountains we saw.

La France Triomphante (1677-1683)

The Water Walk (below) leads uphill to the château.

 

The Grove of the Three Fountains had jets of water everywhere.

 

The Water Theater Grove has a modern creation by sculptor Jean-Michel Othoniel.

Below is recently restored and very colorful fountain.

The Ballroom (pictured below) was designed for dancing.

Marie-Chantal and Jean-Claude doing the Foxtrot

A gilded vase in the Ballroom

The Enceladus Grove.  Enceladus was a Titan punished by the gods for pride.

The Obelisk Grove and Fountain

Below is the very large and centrally located Apollo's Fountain, with his chariot and horses.

The circular Colonnade Grove with fountains under the arches

The Abduction of Proserpine by Pluto by Girardon (1696).  The statue represents the annual return of Spring, when Prosperine (also called Persephone) returns from wintering in the underworld.

Latona's Fountain, located near the château, was recently restored and is a centerpiece of the garden.

Marie-Chantal and Jean-Claude in front of Latona's Fountain

The Pyramid Fountain

While strolling in the garden, we enjoyed many wonderful sights, including the king's palace, the Château de Versailles (pictured below).

(Like Mel Brooks said:  "It's good to be the king.")

We also enjoyed the garden's flora, including topiary trees and lovely flowers.

The garden is also filled with 235 fabulous sculpted vases, like the Sunflower vase below.

The most spectacular fountains are the adjacent Dragon and Neptune Fountains.

The Dragon Fountain appears in the foreground and the Neptune Fountain is located behind

The Neptune Fountain

Not to worry, the Musical Fountains Show is not over. 

Next Up:  The fountains in action