When the scaffoldings finally disappeared one after the other, Laurent Salomé, director of the National Museum of the Châteaux of Versailles and Trianon, let out a great sigh of relief. In his eyes, nothing should disfigure the royal city adored by millions of tourists and soon to be offered to the gaze of billions of TV viewers during the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which kick off in France on July 26. After Paris and Saint-Denis, this town west of Paris will host the third-highest number of sporting events: equestrian, modern pentathlon, marathon and road cycling. The program is intense.

At the beginning of May, that liberating “phew” was heard live. The scaffolding enclosing the imposing equestrian statue of Louis XIV erected on the Place d’Armes in front of the château had just been dismantled after a studious polishing of the bronze. Standing in front of the sculpture, Salomé admired the final result: “It’s fine work, and finished on time.”

The equestrian statue representing Louis XIV, located in front of the entrance to the Chateau de Versailles and renovated for the Olympic Games, Versailles, May 31, 2024. The equestrian statue representing Louis XIV, located in front of the entrance to the Chateau de Versailles and renovated for the Olympic Games, Versailles, May 31, 2024.

How else could one imagine it? The marvelously well-situated work encourages you to learn more about the story of Versailles. “See how the stallion’s forward stride and the baton of command pointed by the Sun King symbolize the spirit of conquest,” said this renowned heritage specialist. “Under the Ancien Régime, the horse was a political animal that contributed to the majesty of sovereigns. A knight was nothing if not a great rider. In perfect harmony with the equestrian events of the Olympic Games, our Louis XIV was to regain his splendor. It’s done!”

A few dozen meters away, just behind him, you can see the Grande and Petite Ecurie buildings, which housed up to 2,300 horses before the Revolution. Both magnify the inseparable link between Versailles and the horse, as does the “Cheval en majesté” (“The Majesty of the Horse”) exhibition, on view at the château from July 2 to November 3.

‘A boost!’

In addition to the enchantment of the setting, this symbiosis was certainly a factor in the choice of the 85,000-inhabitant urban area as the venue for the 20 equestrian nations ready to compete on the tracks. The decision provoked some grumbling. Versailles? “Too bling-bling,” “too frozen in time,” “too much of a postcard,” “too many millions of euros spent!”

Laure Guillaume and her horse in the Grandes Ecuries du Chateau de Vesailles, May 31, 2024. Laure Guillaume and her horse in the Grandes Ecuries du Chateau de Vesailles, May 31, 2024.

Above all, the municipality was criticized for its inability to make the transition from historic Versailles to Olympic Versailles. “But on the contrary, it’s given us a boost!” reacted Mayor François de Mazières. “Having a deadline to finalize the urban development projects required for the event has mobilized all the city’s departments and partners,” said the elected official, who is also the president of Versailles Grand Parc, and whose black walking shoes bear witness to his many strolls through the streets of his municipality. Whenever he can, the environmentally-minded mayor gets around on foot or by bike.

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