By Jacques Vichet
The Eiffel Tower has greeted since its creation nearly 250 million people, becoming the first visited paid monument in the world with over 7 million tourists a year. It was built by Gustave Eiffel for the Universal Exhibition of 1889. For over forty years, it remained the tallest in the world. Symbol of Paris and France, it is unavoidable and we meet all those who work and who watch over it with admiring eyes. Versailles Palace is more than a monument. It has been built gradually, according to the wishes of all the kings of France, from mid seventeenth century until the Revolution of 1789. A model for all of Europe, both for its beauty and its history, it is a reflection of classical art including architecture and sculpture. It will give birth to the famous "French gardens" with its labyrinths. Stretched out on 800 hectares, the area of Versailles was the heart and home of the French monarchy in the seventeenth and eighteenth century. Heritage and history merge. Today, Versailles is still home to numerous cultural events.
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