European monarchies have long rivaled with each others to produce the greatest and most impressive of the palaces. The first to achieve this by overawing all the continent to a point that everybody wanted to copy his palace, was the Sun King, Louis XIV, with Versailles.
The Palace of Versailles makes for a good touchstone to compare all European palaces. It has some 2000 rooms, 2513 windows, 483 mirrors and 67 staircases, spread over 67,000 square metres. The total property expands on 815 ha (2,013 acres), of which 93 ha are composed of gardens. It was constructed between 1664 and 1710.
Since then, (at least) 3 other palaces have managed to surpass it in size.
The largest of all European palaces is still the Louvre, much older than Versailles (the first fortress dates back to the 12th century), but extended to surpass Versailles under Napoleon I and Napoleon III. It now has a total floor area of 210,000 m2.
It is followed by the Royal Palace of Madrid, rebuilt from 1738 to 1755 with the gold from the New World. It spans on 135,000 m2 and has no less than 3418 rooms.
Buckingham Palace, the main official residence of the British monarchy, may seem less big from outside. It nevertheless has a floor area of 77,000 m2, thanks to its higher number of storeys. Its 600 rooms is relatively few compared to other royal palaces.
Another great royal residence, very impressive by its sumptuous interior, and grandiose compared to the size and power of its kingdom, is the Caserta Palace in Napoli. With 45,000 m2 and 1200 rooms, it can certainly rival Versailles. As the above-mentioned palaces are all built in the city centre, the Caserta Palace is the only with gardens vast enough to be comparable to Versailles. In fact, with 120 ha, they are larger than those of Louis XIV.
In comparison, the Biltmore Estate, the largest privately owned home in the United States, is "only" 16,300 m2.
The Palace of Versailles makes for a good touchstone to compare all European palaces. It has some 2000 rooms, 2513 windows, 483 mirrors and 67 staircases, spread over 67,000 square metres. The total property expands on 815 ha (2,013 acres), of which 93 ha are composed of gardens. It was constructed between 1664 and 1710.
Since then, (at least) 3 other palaces have managed to surpass it in size.
The largest of all European palaces is still the Louvre, much older than Versailles (the first fortress dates back to the 12th century), but extended to surpass Versailles under Napoleon I and Napoleon III. It now has a total floor area of 210,000 m2.
It is followed by the Royal Palace of Madrid, rebuilt from 1738 to 1755 with the gold from the New World. It spans on 135,000 m2 and has no less than 3418 rooms.
Buckingham Palace, the main official residence of the British monarchy, may seem less big from outside. It nevertheless has a floor area of 77,000 m2, thanks to its higher number of storeys. Its 600 rooms is relatively few compared to other royal palaces.
Another great royal residence, very impressive by its sumptuous interior, and grandiose compared to the size and power of its kingdom, is the Caserta Palace in Napoli. With 45,000 m2 and 1200 rooms, it can certainly rival Versailles. As the above-mentioned palaces are all built in the city centre, the Caserta Palace is the only with gardens vast enough to be comparable to Versailles. In fact, with 120 ha, they are larger than those of Louis XIV.
In comparison, the Biltmore Estate, the largest privately owned home in the United States, is "only" 16,300 m2.
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