The Palace of Versailles during the Great War 1914-1918

Thanks to an unprecedented combination of photographic material and original records safeguarded in the museum archives and at the French National Library, you can discover how the Palace of Versailles lived through the 14-18 War. In partnership with the French National Library, Gallica.

A Web series in 4 episodes

Episode 1: Versailles, August 1914. A palace in a state of war

Episode 2: Versailles, 1915-1917. The war effort

Episode 3: Versailles, 1918. Towards victory

Episode 4: Versailles, 28 June 1919. Signature of the Peace Treaty

Versailles and the First World War

Both are equally associated, and rightly so, with the historic signing in the Hall of Mirrors of the Peace Treaty, or the “Treaty of Versailles”, on 28 June 1919. Much less is known about the actual period of war.

What happened at Versailles during those four years?

One thing is certain: the Palace was very much involved in events, protecting works of art from the bombings, welcoming visiting wounded soldiers, and organising charity events in the gardens, as well as political celebrations... Without doubt, Versailles contributed to the war effort. Indeed, events at Versailles were popular subjects that newspaper readers of the period liked to keep up with.

Those press articles and accompanying photographic features provided much of the material used in this web series. Combined with documentation provided by the army or generated from archives which are still kept at the Château, the videos propose the viewpoint of the curator from the inside, as well as that of the architect who was in charge of Versailles at the time. Original archives, moving accounts and surprising images plunge us into that troubled period of history of the Palace of Versailles.

Web series trailer

Visit the website for the Apocalypse series on the First World War

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