History of the Palace of Versailles round towers. The vignette also shows a garden on the western side of the château with a fountain on the central axis and rectangular planted "parterres" to either side. Louis XIV had played and hunted at the site as a boy. With a few modifications, this structure would become the core of the new palace. Louis XIII's successor, Louis XIV, had a great interest in Versailles. He settled on the royal hunting lodge at Versailles, and over the following decades had it expanded into one of the largest palaces in the world. Beginning in 1661, the architect Louis Le Vau,
La Lanterne (Versailles) La Lanterne (Versailles) La Lanterne is a hunting lodge in Versailles. It serves as the official retreat of the President of France. It is located next to the Palace of Versailles, in the city of Versailles. It is four hectares wide, bordered by a tall wall and poplars, and it is forbidden to fly over the property. It takes 30 minutes by car to get there from the Élysée Palace, the official residence of the President of France. It was built in 1787 for Philippe Louis de Noailles (1752–1819). From 1959 to 2007, it was the secondary residence of the