From 24 March to 11 November 2007. Did you know that the Château de Vaux le Vicomte to the east of Paris was a source of inspiration for the Château de Versailles? This superb 17th century property was built for Nicolas Fouquet... Louis XIV’s finance minister, who commissioned three brilliant artists to create it: the architect Louis Le Vau, the painter and interior decorator Charles Le Brun and the landscape gardener André Le Nôtre. The chateau hosted all the great artists and thinkers of the time, from Molière and Corneille to Jean de la Fontaine and Madame de Sévigné. However, all this pomp and splendour incurred the wrath of the King, who had Fouquet clapped into jail and then engaged the creators of this masterpiece to turn the Château de Versailles into the magnificent property it is today. Vaux le Vicomte is opened to the general public every year: you can visit the chateau’s sumptuously furnished rooms, its Musée des Equipages and the first French-style garden designed by André Le Nôtre with its enchanting fountains. This exceptional site also hosts a number of programmes to give visitors an opportunity to relive the splendour of the 17th century. These include “Soirées aux chandelles”, evocative candelit evening tours, a “Journée Grande Siècle à Vaux le Vicomte” for an insight into life in the 17th century, plays and open-air opera performances, not forgetting events for children. These events will make you feel as if you’re a member of the royal court! This year’s programme includes a major new event, the “Grand Fête du 17 août”, which will recreate the magical atmosphere of the banquet Nicolas Fouquet gave in honour of the Sun King on 17 August 1661.

S.C.-R.

Photo D.R.