Latest news with #PalaceOfVersailles
Wall Street Journal
19-07-2025
- Wall Street Journal
To Avoid the Day-Trippers at the Palace of Versailles, Book a Night in Town
I arrived in Versailles just after midnight and, stepping out of a taxi, I looked up at the eerily quiet palace at the town's heart. It could have been a night in 1789 during the French Revolution, after a Parisian mob had escorted the royal family off the palace grounds. Across the street, I entered Les Lumières, a pair of 17th-century mansions converted into a boutique hotel. A doorman whisked my bag through splendid hallways, past a grand staircase and beneath glittering chandeliers to an ornate chamber. It was a suitably theatrical introduction to a stay in Versailles, known to most travelers for the extraordinary Palace of Versailles. Years before, I'd joined the armies of day-trippers on the 15-minute train ride from Paris, and fought alongside them through the 2,300-room estate, which sees almost as many visitors as the Louvre. But, recently, a friend from Versailles, a community of around 83,000 people, had suggested I stay overnight for a calmer, more immersive experience.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Snapchat Launches Interactive Art Project at the Palace of Versailles
This story was originally published on Social Media Today. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Social Media Today newsletter. Snapchat has announced a new in-app art project, in partnership with the Palace of Versailles, which aims to provide an interactive historical experience in the grounds of the famous French building. As you can see in these example screens, Snap's new project includes AR activations within the grounds of the palace, providing additional visual elements to enhance the visiting experience. As explained by Snap: 'Snapchat and the Palace of Versailles are partnering to offer a unique cultural experience in augmented reality: Dansez Versailles. Thanks to Snapchat's cutting-edge technologies, visitors to the Palace gardens are invited to rediscover the baroque festivities and dances that enlivened the Royal Court through AR. Through an immersive, fun, and educational journey, history comes to life in the heart of the gardens.' Each station on the map will showcase a dance related to the location, which can be seen through the AR camera. 'With Dansez Versailles, the objective is to restore the gardens of the Palace to their original function: a space for life, pleasure, and spectacle. By leveraging the immersive possibilities of AR, four emblematic places in the gardens become scenes of artistic reconstruction, where each space reveals an iconic dance of the era, allowing visitors to the Palace to step into the shoes of a dancer of the time.' Snapchat has played host to various art installations, as part of its broader push to contribute to emerging culture. Snap has previously launched digital art projects with The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco (FAMSF), while also working with renowned modern artists like Jeffrey Koons, Damien Hirst, KAWS and more, on various AR art activations. This new activation is another step on this front, while Snap is also looking to cement its place in French culture more broadly, in order to enhance its local footprint. France is Snap's biggest EU market, with 27 million users, and Snapchat recently opened a new office in Paris to capitalize on local opportunities. A local AR art activation is another step towards solidifying Snap as a key player in the local interactive landscape, and building more local connections. Sign in to access your portfolio
News.com.au
25-06-2025
- News.com.au
France's Versailles unveils AI-powered talking statues
Visitors to France's famed Palace of Versailles can now strike up a conversation with talking statues instead of listening to a traditional audio guide, as part of a new collaboration with artificial intelligence companies, the palace has said. Versailles late Monday announced a partnership with US-based OpenAI and French start-up Ask Mona to bring a modern AI touch to the iconic 17th-century palace. Curious visitors can delve into Versailles' rich history by scanning a QR code next to one of some 20 garden statues -- triggering interactive conversations in French, English, or Spanish. "The Palace of Versailles is now testing artificial intelligence, whose tremendous capabilities will greatly enrich the visitor experience," said the museum's president, Christophe Leribault. The heritage site welcomes some eight million visitors annually, with OpenAI and Ask Mona saying it was a golden opportunity to showcase their technology in a world-famous location. "Whether you're a heritage expert, a museum curator, or a visitor setting foot in the gardens of the Palace of Versailles for the first time, there's something for everyone," said Julie Lavet, OpenAI's head of European partnerships. And Ask Mona's president said this partnership is a chance to highlight AI's lesser explored applications. "Often, when we think of artificial intelligence, we think of it in terms of productivity, but here, it's really artificial intelligence that is a lever for curiosity," said Marion Carre. hh/ekf/ah/phz
BreakingNews.ie
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
In Pictures: Revellers in baroque costumes dance until dawn at masked ball
Dressed in their finest baroque costumes and signature masks, guests danced the night away at the Palace of Versailles in France. On Saturday night, the Great Masked Ball brought together 2,500 costumed revellers, who partied until dawn from the famous Orangerie to the Ballroom Grove, an amphitheatre of greenery laid out in the grandiose gardens designed by Andre Le Notre. Advertisement This year's theme – Animal is the Future – fused dance performances, DJ sets, and vibrant visuals, captivating a crowd required to be fully costumed and masked to gain entry. (Christophe Ena/AP) (Christophe Ena/AP) (Christophe Ena/AP) (Christophe Ena/AP) (Christophe Ena/AP) (Christophe Ena/AP) (Christophe Ena/AP) (Christophe Ena/AP) (Christophe Ena/AP) (Christophe Ena/AP)
