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Why The Palace and Park of Versailles should be kept a World Heritage Site

INTRODUCTION.

The Palace and Park of Versailles is a beautiful place located in Versailles, France which is about 20 kilometres from the well-known city of Paris. This place has been a World Heritage Site since the year of 1979. It was the home of many Kings and Queens of France such as Louis XIV and Louis the XIV. The date of when Versailles was built was in the 17th century which is also known as the 1600's. It was built by King Louis the XIV. A lot of things happened from the 1600's and onward at Versailles which has all gone down in history. Louis the XIV built the palace, Louis the XV lived in the palace and Louis the XVI suffered for all of the bad deeds that were done by his ancestors. The Palace of Versailles should definitely not be taken of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list because of many reasons. It is a very important place for the French due to the fact that it reminds them of the times when they were controlled by the royal family, and it holds a wonderful man made beauty with the castle along with the gardens which influenced many other castles' garden designs such as the ones in Hampton Court.

WHERE IS IT?

Versailles palace is located at 55-71 Avenue de Paris, 78000 Versailles. Versailles is located in France and it is to the south west of Paris. Its coordinates are 48.804404°N 2.123162°E. Versailles is also the name of a city which was why the palace was called Versailles palace.

WHAT CRITERIA DID YOUR SITE MEET?

The Palace and Park of Versailles is an absolute masterpiece. It has criteria of three cultural things. Firstly, it represents amazing creative genius done by humans. Versailles palace looks beautiful with its gardens and the palace itself is outstanding. The second criterion is to show an important switch of human values. This is done over a certain period of time, or it can also be within a cultural area of the world. Versailles palace was the home of many tyrant kings and queens, which is why it is under this criterion as well. Finally, the palace and park of Versailles meets the criteria of being directly associated with events of brilliant worldwide significance. Versailles palace had many important events for our history to have taken down. It was home of the cowardly king called Louis the XVI.

WHY IS YOUR SITE MORE AT RISK THAN OTHER WORLD HERITAGE SITES?

The Palace and Park of Versailles in France is at more of a risk than other world heritage sites and should stay a world heritage site for many different reasons. Firstly, Versailles Palace receives about 3 million visitors a year which is good for France and their people because they can gain extra money, but there is also a bad side to massive amounts of tourists coming to one place. With so many people walking over a castle so old it goes heaps of generations’ back, eventually, the castle which should be treated like a priceless painting, is slowly getting eroded by the people and the weather. If we can stop the tourism than it would do the castle a lot of good. Secondly, Versailles palace is a reminder to the French and it is world heritage for a reason. If we take it off the UNESCO list, then the palace could go under the threat of being bombed which would be horrible not only for the palace, but also for the people. Secondly, the palace of Versailles is a reminder of how the French were treated back in the 17th century and a reminder of what not to go back to. If the palace is taken of UNESCO’s list, then it will not be cared for as much and if it gets taken down, than the French might go back to how they lived with a mean King and Queen which would not be good at all. Finally, Versailles Palace is an amazing place to see, if it’s not world heritage, it will not be as exquisite and it will turn into a dump.

WHY IS YOUR SITE SO IMPORTANT FOR ITS COUNTRY?

Versailles Palace is extremely important to its country. It shows what not to go back to, it shows how little the kings and queens did for the poor people, and it shows beauty beyond belief. The Palace and Park of Versailles was the home of King Louis the XIV, XV and XVI, along with each of their wives. Each King did their own little bit for the palace of Versailles. Louis the XIV taxed the country massively, making them pay 85 cents out of every dollar of their wages for taxes. These taxes were used to build another castle which became known as Versailles. Louis the XV kept on taxing, but enjoyed his time at Versailles palace, and Louis the XVI had to suffer for all of the taxes which he continued with. The beauty of the Palace and Park of Versailles is outstanding. The gardens alone inspired many kingdoms and castles to be decorated even more beautifully as the ones in Versailles. Also, the palace and its interior are amazing. There are over 700 rooms and some were just too beautiful to even describe. There was a room called the Room of Mirrors where many of the balls were held. The kings especially liked to admire themselves in this certain room. The palace of Versailles is also important to France because it is a great tourist attraction and the French gain a lot of money of the admission fees which are not overly large per person, but over a year, the 3 million visitors paying a small amount ends up with there being a lot of money.

CONCLUSION.

In conclusion, the palace and parks of Versailles is an outstanding place and should not be taken off the list of world heritage sites. It is a great place for tourists to come, a great reminder for the French and a beautiful place for anyone to view. Versailles palace should stay on the UNESCO World Heritage list and stay there permanently. It is much more important than many other World Heritage sites and should be cared for, for eternity.