A brazen burglary at the Palace of Versailles in France was foiled this weekend. By a report in Le Figaroa 31-year-old man scaled the outer wall of the castle grounds and entered the historic structure through a broken French window.
According to the parquet floor of Versailles, the man arrived by taxi in the park of the castle around 10:30 p.m. Saturday evening. Police were alerted to the threat shortly afterwards by the taxi driver, who described the man as “wearing a sheet and taking himself for a king.”
The spokesperson for the Palace of Versailles said in a statement that neither the furniture nor the collections suffered damage during the intrusion. “It is about a man who left Paris in the direction of Versailles and who allegedly told the taxi driver that he intended to enter the castle,” she told AFP. France Media Agency. “He was intercepted after breaking a window near an entrance door which gives access to the lower gallery.”
The palace reopened to the public in May as France cautiously eased its Covid-19 lockdown measures. The site, which also includes the Estate of Trianon, the Gardens of Versailles and the Galerie des Carrosses et du Parc, is one of the most popular tourist sites in the country, attracting around 8 million visitors in 2019. Today, visitors must purchase timed entry. tickets in advance and respect the health precautions now in use.
Built in the late 17th century by the “Sun King” Louis XIV, the 2,300-room complex housed the royal court and family until the monarchy was overthrown in 1789. In 1837, Louis-Philippe, then ruler of France , dissolves Versailles. ‘ status as a royal residence and inaugurated the structure as a museum dedicated to the “glories of France”. The palace collections house over 60,000 paintings and structures spanning the medieval age to the early 20th century.
