The Hall of Mirrors

The Hall of Mirrors is a grand hallway in Versailles, France, built under the order of the absolutist Louise XIV.

It exemplifies his power and opulence.

The hallway quickly became historic and was the scene of the Proclamation of the German Empire and the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.

It’s unusual for a residence’s hallway, as the name suggests, to be filled with mirrors (bronze sculptures, and a painted vaulted ceiling, too).

Most hallways are closed and decorated with artwork.

But the hall of mirrors is also a carnival attraction that consists of confusing passageways lined with mirrors.

A turn becomes a dead end.

The seemingly real path is an illusion.

Mirrors are reflections or representations of reality.

Louis XIV built the beautiful Versailles and the Hall of Mirrors to reflect his glory.

But his legacy is also riddled with opulent overspending, debt accumulated from wars, and intolerance (he revoked the Edict of Nantes).

Beyond the mirror stands reality, and the truth.