How did the fountains at Versailles work without electricity?


How did the fountains at Versailles work without electricity? At Versailles, the fountain complex ordered by King Louis XIV used a vast, complicated and highly expensive system of 14 huge wheels, each more than 30 feet in diameter, powered by the current of a branch of the river Seine. A river current is just another manifestation of the power of gravity.


Can you sleep in Versaille?

Take a Peek Inside. We're guessing Marie Antoinette's TripAdvisor review of the Château de Versailles would have been decidedly mixed (Pastry chef: okay; security against angry mobs: subpar; verdict: two stars).


Were royal children only allowed to sit on stools at Versailles?

The children of the King could only claim a stool in their father's presence. Princesses of the blood were generally entitled to a chair with a back but not to one with arms. Cardinals could sit on a sofa when a prince of the blood was in the room but if the Queen entered he had to move to a stool.


How did they pump water in Versailles?

Fourteen hydraulic wheels—each 33 feet in diameter—worked with 251 suction and treading pumps to push water uphill along a set of pipes and two other pumping stations to the Tour de Levant, the first of two towers anchoring the Louveciennes Aqueduct on each end.


Why were there no bathrooms in Versailles?

Rooms with toilets, cesspools, and drainage systems only started to become common in the 19th century. At the Palace of Versailles, people would conduct their business in the corridors or in the gardens. In 1715, it was decreed that once a week the feces would be collected from the corridors.


How did Romans get water uphill?

Although Romans sometimes used pressurized siphons to allow water to travel uphill, they were more likely to redirect water sources to sloping land, even if it was many miles away! Their layered, arched bridges filled deep valleys, and water ran across the top in the open air.


How much would a 16 year old pay to visit Versailles?

Access to the Palace and the estate of Trianon is free for visitors under 18 (or under 26 residing in the EU).