Versailles, France
Elaborate fountains at the Palace of Versailles spouted water this week for the first time in more than 200 years, thanks to private U.S. donations. The newly restored Bosquet des Trois Fontaines, a vast garden with three levels of fountains linked by waterfalls, is the only one of the palace’s 16 fountain complexes designed by King Louis XIV himself. It fell into disuse in the late 18th century, after the palace was overrun during the French Revolution. The American Friends of Versailles foundation managed to raise most of the $6.5 million to restore the fountains, despite the tension between France and the U.S. over the Iraq war. The foundation lobbied American donors by arguing that Versailles was not just a French monument, but a world treasure.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
-
The daily gossip: Anya Taylor-Joy leads epic 'Furiosa' trailer, Felicity Huffman felt she 'had to break the law' in college admissions scandal, and moreThe daily gossip: December 1, 2023
-
What's Qatar's role in the Middle East conflict?
Today's Big Question Doha hosts both Hamas and a U.S. military base. That puts it at the center of the conflict in Gaza.
-
Alleged Sikh assassination plot rocks US-India relations
Talking Point By accusing an Indian government official of orchestrating an assassination attempt on a US citizen in New York, the Justice Department risks a diplomatic crisis between two superpower
