Versailles from the Sky

It's as if Versailles was designed to be seen from the sky.

Versailles seen from the sky is dreamlike. First to experience this remarkable sight on September 19, 1783, were three passengers aboard the world's first hot-air balloon flight: a sheep, a duck, and a chicken. These animals rose up into the sky in front of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette, making Versailles a pioneering location in the conquest of the air.

In the twenty-first century, the advent of drone cameras makes it possible to capture an infinity of new perspectives from the air. Versailles is particularly beautiful when seen from above, and the stunning images in this volume reveal the ingenious geometry of its different spaces, while also offering a panoramic view of the estate in all its immensity. The classical gardens lend themselves well to aerial views: the Grande Perspective, the fountains, the intricate parterres, many of which were plotted out on architectural plans.