Palais Royal

In the center of Paris is located the grand Palais Royal. The history of its appearance is associated with the famous politician of the XVII century – Cardinal Richelieu. Not wanting to live under the same roof as the king, he long sought a suitable home. In 1624, the cardinal decided to buy the estate of Anjeune very close to the Louvre. The reconstruction of the estate was entrusted to the architect Jacques Lemercier. A couple of years later, a luxurious palace with a guards hall, art galleries, a library and a theater grew. All this caused the wrath of the king, but the great strategist Richelieu acted foresightedly and bequeathed his castle to the family of the king, thereby removing all claims in his address.

The name Palais Royal did not appear immediately - originally the palace was called Palais Cardinal. Anne of Austria, who settled here after Richelieu's death, with her son Louis XIV renamed the palace the Royal Palace.

Several times the palace passed from owner to owner, having managed to visit the palace, and the trading area, and even a brothel. At the beginning of the XIX century, King Louis XVIII recreated the atmosphere of the times of Cardinal Richelieu in the palace.

The high society of Paris gathered in the palace, literary evenings and balls were held. But in 1871 the Paris Commune destroyed everything and the palace was burned down. Since 1873, the restoration of the palace in the form in which it has survived to the present day began, becoming a haven for various state institutions.