Domaine de Madame Elisabeth (Madame Elisabeth's Estate), Versailles

The Madame Elisabeth's Estate is a charming estate of about 8 hectares, combining natural beauty with 18th- and early 19th-century history. Originally it belonged to the Prince and Princess of Rohan-Guéméné, who had it landscaped and built up in the mid-1700s, before King Louis XVI acquired it in 1783 and gave it to his sister, Princess Élisabeth of France.

The architecture of the main house reflects neoclassical tastes of its era. After Louis XVI acquired the property, further updates were made between 1787-1789 by the architect Jean-Jacques Huvé, including refinements that complemented the fashionable garden design of the period. The house today retains only some of its original rooms as used by Madame Élisabeth: notably her planned bedroom, a Turkish salon, and a harpsichord room. Outside, the park features winding paths, groves of trees, a cave, and scenic perspectives - in the style often called Anglo-Chinese, which was very much in fashion then.

Though she was given the estate at age 19, she was not allowed to sleep there until she was 25. In the meantime, she visited often, combining daily visits from Versailles with her passions for reading, embroidery, gardening, and caring for the poor of the neighborhood. During the Revolution, of course, life changed drastically. Today, while the interior of the house is not always fully open, the gardens and orangery are accessible to visitors.