The Queen's Hamlet

Overlooking the lake lies the Queen's Hamlet, which Marie Antoinette had built for herself. It's a rustic little village straight out of a fairy tale — so tucked away, in fact, that some visitors leave Versailles without ever knowing it exists. That may well have been exactly what she intended. Worn down by palace life, where every moment from waking to sleep played out in public view, the queen wanted a place deep within the gardens where she could simply be free. There was also a mother's wish behind it: rather than keep her children confined to the palace, she wanted them to come here and see firsthand how livestock were raised and crops harvested.