Q 01/05

The Palace of Versailles lies roughly how far south-west of Paris?

A) About 5 km

B) About 75 km

C) About 16 km

D) About 40 km

Answer · why

C) About 16 km

The Avenue de Paris runs 27 km from the capital straight to the gate between the two royal stables.

Q 02/05

Which king built the original hunting lodge at Versailles in 1623?

A) Charles IX

B) Louis XIII

C) Henry IV

D) Francis I

Answer · why

B) Louis XIII

Courtiers mocked the brick-and-stone lodge as the 'puny château' and the 'house of cards'.

Q 03/05

On what date did the king, court and government move permanently to Versailles?

A) 6 May 1682

B) 1 January 1661

C) 14 July 1670

D) 6 October 1789

Answer · why

A) 6 May 1682

They stayed until 6 October 1789, apart from the Regency years after Louis XIV's death.

Q 04/05

Roughly how many rooms does the palace contain?

A) About 700

B) About 1,200

C) About 2,300

D) About 5,000

Answer · why

C) About 2,300

Around 1,000 of them belong to the Museum of the History of France.

Q 05/05

Whose lavish 1661 fête at Vaux-le-Vicomte impressed Louis XIV yet got its host imprisoned?

A) Nicolas Fouquet

B) Jean-Baptiste Colbert

C) Cardinal Richelieu

D) Cardinal Mazarin

Answer · why

A) Nicolas Fouquet

The king promptly hired the château's architect, gardener and painter for his own project.