54 Stylish Living?

The royal palace at Versailles, the center of court life during the reign of Louis XIV, is today a symbol of dazzling beauty and opulent living. Millions of gold francs were spent in building and furnishing its lavish chambers, halls, and gardens. So it is difficult to imagine the royal palace as it was in its heyday—cold, crowded, and filthy.

The chimneys in Versailles Palace were so wide that fires were easily extinguished by rain or snow, and wind blew smoke back into the chambers. Heating the enormous rooms was impossible, so ladies who wore fashionably low-cut dresses suffered for style.

Louis XIV enlarged the palace greatly, but because he preferred to have his nobles near him, the vast estate still swarmed with courtiers, sometimes as many as 10,000 at home. He also favored giving the populace the opportunity to observe their sovereign. Sightseers were allowed to troop through the staterooms and gaze upon the king as he dined.

The hallways were as private as city streets. They were filled with vendors, tradesmen, and beggars. Cows and goats were brought to the doors of the chambers to be milked. Because there were no bathroom facilities, animal and human filth frequently piled up in the passageways of the palace.

With thousands of courtiers living closely together, with halls crowded with vendors and townspeople, with courtyards filled with animals, and with filth everywhere, it is hard to imagine this royal palace as a fitting place for lavish and elegant living.

54 时尚生活？

凡尔赛宫是路易十四统治时期宫廷生活的中心，如今它是耀眼美丽与奢华生活的象征。数百万金法郎被用于建造和布置其奢华的房间、大厅与花园。因此，很难想象这座王宫在鼎盛时期的样子——寒冷、拥挤且肮脏。

凡尔赛宫的烟囱太宽了，雨雪很容易浇灭火焰，风还会把烟吹回房间里。给巨大的房间供暖是不可能的，所以穿着时髦低胸礼服的女士们为了时尚而受冻。

路易十四大幅扩建了宫殿，但由于他喜欢让贵族们待在自己身边，这片广阔的宅邸里仍然挤满了朝臣，有时在家中多达1万人。他还喜欢给民众提供瞻仰君主的机会。观光者可以成群结队地穿过国宾厅，在国王用餐时注视着他。

走廊和城市街道一样毫无私密性，到处都是小贩、工匠和乞丐。奶牛和山羊被牵到房间门口挤奶。由于没有卫浴设施，动物和人类的污秽物经常堆积在宫殿的过道里。

成千上万的朝臣挤在一起生活，大厅里挤满了小贩和市民，庭院里满是动物，污秽物随处可见，很难想象这座王宫是奢华优雅生活的合适场所。